Hometown proud
Richard “Zip” Young is a Youngsville native passionate about its history and has taken great joy in a hobby that preserves the community’s past.
From 1944 to 1959, Young’s great uncle Earl Young provided dual purpose to serve Youngsville with the hearse for not just funeral services but also as an ambulance.
Richard “Zip” Young is a Youngsville native passionate about its history and has taken great joy in a hobby that preserves the community’s past.
From 1944 to 1959, Young’s great uncle Earl Young provided dual purpose to serve Youngsville with the hearse for not just funeral services but also as an ambulance.
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Born and raised in Youngsville, Richard "Zip" Young graduated from the class of 1972.
Once located next to the American Legion, Young's Furniture and Appliance Store was where he had his first job as an appliance repairman and carpet installer. His great uncle owned the business before his parents took it over in 1964. After high school, Young began working at the forge, now known as Ellwood National Forge, and retired after 45 years.
These days, you can find him at the legion with his stepson Austin May, sharing stories and reminiscing with others. All of Young's stepchildren remain in close relationship with him and include Ramsey May, Jesse May, and Sabrina Sturges.
For the past 12 years, Young has taken a special interest in sharing his passion for history online, making sure that the history of Youngsville and surrounding areas are not forgotten. Using upwards of 30 of his mother's scrapbooks, Young created a Facebook group page titled "Just Stuff" where the history and heritage of his hometown in the Brokenstraw Valley is preserved. Along with co-administrator Ken Hartley, the history, memories and stories of the community are shared to keep yesterday alive for tomorrow. The group began in December 2014 and has grown to 3,700 members. Keeping true to the purpose of the group, if a post is not beneficial to the group, it will kindly be removed. It is a positive and respectful place that both honors the past and supports the community. He is proud of the past, thankful for today and hopeful for tomorrow.
Although there is no relation to the town's founder, Matthew Young, his family has a strong history of community service. In 1944, a hearse was not only used from his great uncle's funeral home but also for the town's ambulance. It wasn't until the late 1950s when the fire department bought its first ambulance. Additionally, his parents were part of a team effort to raise money for the Brokenstraw Valley Swimming Pool. His father, Rex Young served as the founding president of the Youngsville Television Corporation for 23 years, during a time when the monthly service bill was just two dollars.
Known as "Zip" all of his life, the story behind his nickname comes from Zippy the chimp, a famous TV animal star from the Howdy Doody and Ed Sullivan shows. His mother gave him the names because, like the lively chimpanzee, her young son was always getting into things.
Every day, the Facebook group is updated with tempered posts, sharing the history of the town with old photos while also posting some current events that are beneficial for the community to know. Not wanting to overwhelm people with too many posts each day, he shared how he used to be able to sit in local libraries, museums and the historical society for hours and go through old newspapers. Young emphasized that he does this for the community.
History was his favorite subject in school and Zip considers himself to be blessed with having many excellent history teachers from "Youngsville University" as he likes to call it.
"They turn out a lot of good people down there."
He credits his teachers for his passion in history and it's apparent that his hobby is a shared gift to the community. The purpose for the group has always been to give people a place to remember where they came from. Young said, "I enjoy seeing folks reminisce, but I also want the younger generations to know the history of their town and the Brokenstraw Valley. Once these photographs, stories and memories are gone, you can't always get them back. It isn't just my history, it's our history."
While the page features local history with photos and stories, it also serves as a place for information about local service clubs, churches, charities and nonprofit groups in the county. A source for good news, it is a hub for online audiences to connect, share and celebrate the hometowns of the area.
Over the years, the memories have been shared with him from many people and although the group page name is called "Just Stuff," it actually is much more than that. Young said, "It belongs to the community and I am grateful that people have trusted me to share and preserve what they have."