Remembering Herb Young
Cary, NC – It is with great sadness that we report the passing of Herb Young, Cary Town Councilman, volunteer and sports icon. He was 84.
Remembering Herb Young
What’s makes Cary great? Guys like Herb Young. He was a native son, born on July 5, 1928 right here in Cary, North Carolina.
Herb was a natural athlete, tall, strong and sure-footed. He lettered in three sports at Cary High School and won a regional Golden Gloves boxing event at the age of 17.
In the 1940’s Herb played center on the UNC Chapel Hill football team with Carolina legend Charlie “Choo-Choo” Justice.
A Legendary Ref
Herb was a high school basketball referee for 35 years starting in 1947 and officiated the state high school basketball championship in all four classifications. He officiated high school football for 24 years and umpired baseball for eight years. Young conducted state basketball clinics and also served as supervisor of officials for the Triangle Officials Association for 11 years.
He also officiated college basketball in the Carolinas Conference for 25 years, Southern Conference for 18 and the Atlantic Coast Conference for 11 seasons.
A charter member of the Cary High School Sports Hall of Fame, he was elected to the North Carolina High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 2001.
Career
Herb worked for Bell South for 37 years as a building engineer. He served on Cary Town Council from 1966-1975.
Parks and Rec
Herb volunteered with the Cary Parks and Recreation for over 50 years. The town renamed its first community center in his honor in 2001. Today, people of all ages and interests can find recreation, entertainment and enrichment at the Herbert C. Young Community Center behind Town Hall.
Triangle Swim Club
The Young Family opened and operated the Triangle Swim Club on Old Apex Road for more than three decades. Herb was there every summer from 1970 to 2006. That facility is now closed, but Herb’s energy and enthusiasm touched literally thousands of children and adults.
Memorial Service
A Memorial Service will be held on Monday, July 23, 2012 at 11:00 am at the First Baptist Church in Cary. The family will receive friends immediately after the service.
If you have a picture Herb Young or a remembrance you’d like to share, please post it in the comments or send it to editor@carycitizen.com.
As a caregiver for Mr. Young over the past year, I am saddened by this loss. He was such a gentle man and always had that sweet, goofy smile. Even on his bad days Mr. Young asked “how you doing young lady?” and it always lifted my spirits. He had visitors all the time and most of them were people who knew Mr. Young in their youth. He truly was an amazing man.
Sending prayers to the Young family!
Love, Morgan
I think you’re a hero, too, Morgan. Thanks for writing.
Herb was truly a great individual. If even half of us went about our days with his sense of responsibility, kindness and smiling optimism, our world would be a vastly different and much better place. All of us who play on Cary’s ballfields, in our parks and playgrounds and enjoy our community centers owe a debt of gratitude to Herb Young.