S P E C I A L
D E S T I N Y
A Storied Past By Steve Wilson
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rowing up, Edwin Young Jr., ’67, loved hearing stories of his father’s days at St. Edward’s University. Especially the one about the owl. As Edwin Sr., ’31, told it, a group of students from St. Edward’s had captured a great horned owl that they planned to present to football rival Rice University as a mascot during halftime at a game. The visiting Rice fans had other plans: In the spirit of unfriendly rivalry, they sneaked up to the owl’s cage before the presentation and set it free. As a St. Edward’s trustee in the 1950s and 1960s, Edwin Sr. often invited over the likes of Brother Raymond Fleck, CSC, as dinner guests full of their own stories about the university. “Brother Raymond made the place sound as wild as a priest could,” says Edwin Jr. But it wasn’t until Edwin Jr.’s uncle made an idle remark 10 years ago that he learned one story he’d never been told: His grandfather, John Young, attended St. Edward’s from 1892 to 1893 before matriculating for reasons longforgotten to a relatively new school called the University of Texas. That makes three generations of Hilltoppers in the family. And when you factor in Edwin Jr.’s brother, Robert A., ’68, you’d be forgiven for thinking there’s a St. Edward’s gene in the Young DNA. At the very least, it’s safe to say the university has traditionally been strongly recommended from father to son. “My grandfather inspired my dad to go,” says Edwin Jr. “And my dad was very proud of being at school there. I’d have broken his heart if I’d gone to a Jesuit school.”
After what he calls an “enjoyable and enlightening” four years on the hilltop as a Business Administration major on a basketball scholarship, Edwin Jr. got drafted as an officer in the Army. Stationed in Washington, D.C., for a year and a half, he marched in the honor guard procession of Dwight Eisenhower’s funeral and the inauguration of Richard Nixon before doing a tour in Vietnam for 18 months. Back home in Houston, he settled down with his wife, Helen, and got to work in the insurance business — which also runs in the family. Grandfather John started John Young and Associates as a small insurance outfit in 1900, and Edwin Sr. eventually took over the business. Edwin Jr. worked for various insurance companies — most recently AIG — over the course of 40 years before retiring last September at 61. He and Helen, who have four children, had their 39th anniversary this year. Edwin Jr. has made periodic gifts to St. Edward’s, but in 2005 he increased his giving by joining the President’s Associates — friends of the university who annually donate $1,000 or more. From his multigenerational perspective, it’s the least he can do for a university that gave his family so much and continues to do the same for others. “The facilities are so much better today than when I was there,” he says. “And I applaud the university for taking the steps to attract students from a variety of backgrounds.” Some backgrounds are more familiar than others. Another Young graduates from St. Edward’s this year: Sarah, ’06, the daughter of Edwin Jr.’s first cousin.
photos courtesy of Ed young
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