Richard Young

Richard (Rick) D. Young, 75, of Scituate, passed away on September 25, 2022. He is survived by his wife and life partner of 55 years, Nancy Murray Young; his son and daughter-in-law, James and Priscilla Young of Scituate; and three grandchildren, Henry (Scituate), Colin (Arcata, CA), and Ava (Chicago, IL).

Born September 14, 1947 in Waterbury, Connecticut, Rick was the only child of Roy C. and Amy Gibson Young. A 1965 graduate of Wilby High School, he played basketball and golf, and also worked in the family business, Young's Auto Supply.

After attending Boston University for two years, Rick transferred in 1967 to the Cambridge School of Broadcasting (later Grahm Junior College) in Kenmore Square, where he met his wife, Nancy Murray. They married in June 1969. Their son James was born the following year, and they settled in North Scituate, not far from Nancy's family in Minot.

Rick became a counselor at Cushing Hall Residential School on Tilden Road, where, with kindness, patience, and ingenuity, he quickly cultivated strong, positive relationships with his students.

Still, wanting to be able to do more for the boys, he decided to return to college, graduating with honors from UMass-Amherst, with a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and English. When Cushing Hall offered him the opportunity to develop a creative arts program for the school, the family moved back to Scituate.

For the next ten years, Rick nurtured and guided his students; weekends often found small groups of the boys at the Young's house, playing board games or drawing pictures, or piling into the 1968 Dodge Dart with all the bumper stickers and heading to the beach. Although the school closed in 1984, many of Rick's students have stayed in touch through the years.

From 1984-1988, Rick was a department manager at Herman’s Sporting Goods in Braintree; with his knowledge of baseball and golf he became the "go to" guy for help and information.

Then he was hired by Boston University as Senior Communications Coordinator in the Office of Photo Services, where he became an integral member of a small, dedicated team of exceptional photography professionals.

Shortly after his arrival at B.U., he discovered a room filled with cartons of photographs, dating back many decades. From Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Senator Edward Brooke III and Tipper Gore to Geena Davis, Joan Baez, and Robert Parker, there were hundreds of images that traced the history of the university's distinguished alumni. Over the next couple of years, Rick organized this extraordinary collection, eventually filling dozens of fireproof file cabinets, creating an archive that continued to grow for almost 25 years.

And during those years, hundreds of copies of those photos made their way from the B.U. Archive to authors, newspapers, television programs, documentaries, private collections, museums ... and even the Agganis Arena.

A gifted poet and photographer, lifelong baseball fan and card collector, guitarist, and avid reader, what Rick cherished most was spending time with his family and his beloved cats.

Contributions in his memory can be made to the Friends of the Scituate Town Library at friendsofthescituatetownlibrary.org/donate, to support Rick's favorite place in Scituate.

Some of Rick’s poetry can be read at redtinnoodles.com