James D. "Jim" Young was born in Huntington, West Virginia. During WWII, Jim served for two‐and‐a‐half years as the skipper of an LCT (an ocean‐going landing craft) in the South Pacific.

After the war, Jim earned his Ph.D. in speech and drama at U.S.C. and, after successful careers at Pepperdine College and Cal State Los Angeles, was recruited to create the Department of Theatre at what ultimately became California State University, Fullerton. In those early years, the school had no facilities for drama productions, but under Jim's creative guidance the fledgling department found ways to put on shows in parking lots, churches, and shopping centers. Today it boasts one of the finest drama programs in the country, housed in the James A.W. Clayes III Performing Arts Center. Among the theatres within the Clayes Center is the James D. Young Theatre.

In addition to founding and leading the new drama department, Jim served CSUF in a variety of administrative roles for 41 years, including as Associate Vice‐President of Academic Programs. He was also active in Rotary (including service as District Governor), MAMM Alliance for the Support of the Performing Arts at CSUF, the Boys and Girls Clubs, the Muckenthaler Center, and others. The awards Jim received are too numerous to detail, and many of them he received with Dottie; but they included recognitions from the U.S. Congress, California State Governors, the State Legislature, the Orange County Board of Supervisors, the Fullerton City Council, the Boys & Girls Clubs, the YWCA, the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International, and CSUF (e.g. Visions and Visionaries and Outstanding Emeritus). He was also the coauthor (with E.V. Pullias) of a major book on education, A Teacher Is Many Things, which was published in many languages throughout the world.

About Rotary International: Rotary is a global network of 1.2 million neighbors, friends, leaders, and problem-solvers who see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.

Source: rotary.org