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Late alumnus made an impact on Miami’s Black community that is still felt after his passing
By Jesús F. Jiménez, assistant director of digital content
When Deloris Rome Hudson ’71 first met Larry Young ’65, M.Ed. ’74, she didn’t quite know what his role was, but observing how he interacted with Black students, she could see he was special.
A student at Miami during the civil rights movement, Larry was an ambassador for Black students and alumni – and his impact is still felt months after his passing on April 25, 2022.
Bridging the gap
Larry was the first administrator to carry out the Bridges Program, an engaging experience that provides high-achieving high school seniors from historically underrepresented populations an inside look at Miami University.
Anthony Lockhart ’70 was Larry’s brother in Alpha Phi Alpha.
“I had an opportunity to volunteer with the Bridges program myself, and just seeing the reaction of high school students who participated in that, it was just really, really appreciated,” Anthony said.
Bridges was founded 40 years ago by Black students who wanted a Miami degree to be more accessible to underrepresented student populations. Today, 600 prospective Miami students visit the Oxford campus for the overnight program each year, engaging with current students, faculty, and staff. Those who later choose to enroll at Miami earn a Bridges scholarship. Two more sessions remain this month: Nov. 6-7 and Nov. 13-14.
Giving back
Bridges is just one of several ways Larry made an impact.
An English major, Larry went on to serve as Miami’s director of the Educational Opportunity Office of Minority Affairs and president of Miami’s Black Alumni Advisory Committee. He was also the first Black president of the Miami University Alumni Association Board of Directors.
“He demonstrated his commitment to his community,” Anthony said.
In 2008, Larry made a gift to Miami to establish the Marian Musgrave Libraries Acquisition Fund in honor of the first female African American faculty member in Miami’s English department, which Marian joined in 1969. The gift’s goal is to help Miami acquire African American literature and resources, representative of the professor Larry remembered.
“If you went into Dr. Musgrave's apartment, the first thing you noticed was her library,” Larry said at the time he made the gift. “She had an enormous collection of books about everything. She believed that books were an essential part of life and humanity. I couldn't think of a better way to honor her memory than a gift that allows the university to acquire books that support her fascination with the African diaspora.”
‘Mr. Miami’
During his tenure as Black Alumni Advisory Committee president, Larry helped carry out the first Black Alumni Reunion. Deloris got to know him much better as she worked with him in that role.
“I used to call him Mr. Miami,” Deloris said. “He knew so much about the university. He knew a lot about the students from his class, and if you wanted to know where someone was who graduated from Miami or had left, if he didn’t know at the time, he could find out exactly where they were.”
Larry left Miami in 1982 to serve as director of Penn State’s Paul Robeson Cultural Center. There, he established the Lawrence Young Scholarship, which is awarded to a student who has demonstrated leadership characteristics with one of the Greek organizations within the National Pan-Hellenic Council.
Even while at Penn State, he never forgot about Miami, and Miami never forgot about him.
“He used that opportunity to air some of the issues that he saw as an alum in order to enhance the overall educational experience at Miami,” Anthony said. “And of course, he continued to work for greater diversity in the faculty, greater diversity in the student population, and I believe today we see the fruits of those efforts.”