Alumni Focus: Board of Trustee Member Dr. Harding Young Demonstrates the Value of Giving Back
When Harding Young completed his family practice residency in the late‘ 80s at Martin Luther King Hospital, he felt a compelling urgency to return the favor. In his own unique way, Dr. Young wanted to ensure that the King / Drew mission of being a strong presence in underserved communities was preserved and expanded for future generations. In locating his medical offices in nearby Lynwood, he showed his commitment to maintaining close ties with the University.
COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
During his residency, the Morehouse Medical School alum trained under some of the institution’ s bedrock leaders. Dr. Ludlow Creary was department chair. Dr. Theodore Brooks was a family practitioner and attending physician at the outpatient clinic. Dr. Vijay Rao and Dr. Larry Robinson were also early mentors. Dr. Ronald Edelstein provided academic guidance. Now, as a recently elected member of the CDU Board of Trustees, Dr. Young fully understands how that formative experience prepared him.
Following an appearance on campus by Dr. Louis
Sullivan, Dr. Young was identified as a potential CDU Trustee.“ One of my mentors in Georgia was Dr. Louis Sullivan, who served as President of the Morehouse School of Medicine,” he said. Dr. Sullivan, of course, was also the former DHHS Secretary under George H. W. Bush.
Dr. Sullivan was the CDU graduation ceremony speaker that year, and the event served to underscore Dr. Young’ s continuing interest in serving CDU. He and his wife hosted a very successful scholarship fundraiser for students at their home.“ Dr. Sullivan, with my help, wanted to honor his best friend Dr. Ezra Davidson, founder of the MLK OB / GYN Department, with a scholarship in his name,” he noted. Subsequently, Dr. Young was invited to become a candidate for the University’ s Board of Trustees.
Dr. Young’ s vetting process prior to Board acceptance was quite thorough: six months with the requisite background checks and appropriate assessment of fitness for the position. Dr. Young noted that the new position has brought him full circle.“ Some thirty years later, here we are now, helping CDU. This is a great honor.”
Dr. Young demonstrated his commitment in taking over as BOT Development Committee chair when previous committee chair Arthur Ochoa was recently elected President. He works closely with Vice- President Angela Minniefield and the Office of Strategic Advancement staff in continuing to identify and follow through in pursuing potential fundraising opportunities available to the University.
His two initial primary goals are lofty: to secure full participation of all living CDU alumni in a“ give or get” financial support strategy, however big or small the contribution. Secondly, to identify a cadre of friends of CDU and levels of rotating sponsorships,“ so that we’ re not always going back to the same group of donors,” he observed.
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