Born in Lexington, Kentucky, on February 15, 1918. Died, January 13, 2004. Engineer. Business Executive. University of Kentucky, B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, 1939.
He began his career as an engineer with the Bailey Meter Company, a subsidiary of General Electric and Babcock and Wilcox, and remained with this firm until 1941, when he entered military service.
He served with the Ordinance Department of the U.S. Army during World War II, and was discharged in 1946 with the rank of Major.
After the war he founded W. T. Young Foods, Inc., in Lexington, for the manufacture of Big Top Peanut Butter, which business was expanded to national distribution and sold to the Procter & Gamble Company in 1955. He headed the subsidiary for P & G until 1957. The following year he founded W. T. Young Storage, Inc., and related companies, and continued to operate the businesses which included a general warehouse facility with related trucking and frozen food distribution.
He has been a Director of First Security National Bank and Trust Company, Kentucky American Water Company, Lexington Center Corporation, Lexington Cemetery, and Humana, Inc.; Chairman of the Board of Curators, Transylvania University; Chairman, Executive Committee, Humana, Inc.; Director of Reynolds Metals Company, Richmond, Virginia; past president of the Lexington Optimist Club and an honorary member of the Lexington Rotary Club. His principal occupation since 1966 has been as Chairman of the Royal Crown Cola Company, Atlanta, Georgia. He is a past Trustee of the University of Kentucky and was Vice Chairman of the Cabinet under Kentucky Governor John Y. Brown, 1979-81.
William T. Young was named to the Hall of Distinguished Alumni on November 6, 1970.
