The Young Fund for Agricultural Education

A conservation fund for the purpose of keeping Rappahannock green has been established by the Young family to honor the memory of Dr. Bill Young (1920-2004). The fund will assist the Rappahannock County High School in establishing an agriculture course starting in September 2005. All contributions will be matched by the Young family for the cost of the first year start-up.

Arriving in Rappahannock County in 1963, Dr. Young became the medical director of the Rappahannock-Rapidan Mental Health Center, as well as maintaining his private practice. Together with his wife Mitzie and their four children, he operated a family farm for many years.

The Young family farm. Photo by Bill Young, courtesy Mitzie Young.

A prominent, active, and widely respected citizen of the county, Bill joined the Rappahannock League for Environmental Protection, and from 1984 to1994 he was Chairman of the Board of the Rappahannock Public Library and guided the development of the new building. His other interests included the Rappahannock Association for the Arts and the Community, for which he chaired the Movie Film Committee. Photography and gardening were his hobbies, and in 1991 he became a certified Master Gardener. More recently, he gave generously of his time as a mentor in the Rappahannock County High School computer labs.

In an open letter, Bill’s son, Kevin I. Young, M.D., writes:

"The best way to commemorate Dad’s life would be to restore the agricultural curriculum at the high school level. Education in agriculture suffered with the closing of the Piedmont Technical and Vocational School in Madison. Scholarships designed to promote environmental, college-level interests suffered when the recipients left those pursuits to seek other, more popular endeavors, such as computers, business, and professional goals. But now, we have come full circle. There is nothing mankind can do, without sustainable agriculture.

As Rappahannock County High School seeks to establish an agriculture curriculum, our family urges you to encourage this program to help the young people of this county feel successful and fulfilled staying in the field of agriculture."

Headwaters Endowment will accept funds dedicated to this plan. Checks may be made payable to Headwaters Endowment/Bill Young Fund and mailed to Headwaters, 297 Gay Street, Washington, VA 22747.