About Stephen James Young (1950-1992)
Biography
Stephen James Young was born on September 10, 1950, in Saint Albans, Vermont, and he was raised on a rural dairy farm in Vermont. After graduating from high school in 1969, Young enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served as an intelligence clerk during the Vietnam War. For his service, he received the Navy Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with Three Stars, Vietnam Campaign Medal, two Navy Unit Commendations, two Republic of Vietnam Meritorious Unit Citations, and the Naval Reserve Meritorious Service Medal. After returning from Vietnam, he earned a bachelor's degree in wildlife management. With his wife, Kimberly, Young raised his two children: Lisa and Aaron. He was particularly passionate about the conservation of wetlands and waterfowl, and he belonged to several conservation organizations, including The Wildlife Society and the Fairbanks chapter of Ducks Unlimited. He also enjoyed a variety of outdoor activities, including golfing, fishing, and hunting upland game birds. In January of 1977, he began his U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) career as a fish and wildlife biologist at the North Dakota Ecological Services Field Office in Bismarck, North Dakota. A year later, Young moved to South Dakota and became the assistant refuge manager at Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge, where he also received a refuge officer law enforcement commission, a status that he maintained until his death. During his time with the Service, Young became interested in seeing and experiencing Alaska, and in 1990, he became the primary assistant refuge manager at Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska where he advocated for environmental education efforts. In June of 1992, he became the assistant refuge manager at Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, where he served until his death.
Cause of Death
On November 12, 1992, Young and a civilian pilot were participating in an extensive moose census of the Yukon Flats in a Piper PA-18 Super Cub, a two-seat, single-engine airplane. During the last section of the aerial survey, the airplane inadvertently stalled at an altitude that was insufficient for recovery, and the airplane crashed in the White Mountains. Both Young and the civilian pilot died in the crash.
Sources:
Allen, David B. “Summary of accidental deaths of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees in Alaska since 1958.” Received by Blake Sasse, 17 Feb. 1998.
Social Security Administration, “Stephen James Young.” U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007.