Becky Young Memorial Awards at Planned Parenthood

Becky Young Oral History

I've put up the first episode of my mother's oral history on my podcast site. This is quite interesting. She talks about growing up in Clairton, PA, and going to the University of Michigan.

Wisconsin Assembly Gives Becky Young a Tribute

To listen go here:

Then go to the heading - "02.24.09 | Wisconsin State Assembly Floor Session (Part 1)", at the bottom of the text, click on "watch", then click "ok", when the video starts you can skip ahead to 15:00 by clicking on the progressive bar and dragging it along until you are at about 15:00. You may need to click play after dragging the bar.

Coverage of the Memorial Service

Judy Davidoff at the Capitol Times has some excellent coverage of the service.

Soon after Becky Young was elected to the state Assembly in 1984, Ruth Loomis walked into her office and asked if she could work there three days a week -- for free. She stayed with Young for most of the legislator's seven terms in the Assembly, as did aides Shirley Lake and Jon Peacock, who were on the payroll but also put in many hours of unpaid overtime.

"I considered it to be my volunteer work," says Lake of those extra hours. "She was fighting for the issues I believed in."

Young inspired such devotion because of her own dedication to the issues, adds Peacock, who is now research director at the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families.

"We'd talk strategy at times, but 95 percent of the time we talked substance and what we wanted to accomplish. It was always about what was right, not what was politically expedient."

Loomis, Lake and Peacock were among the hundreds of friends, family members and former colleagues who turned out Saturday for a memorial service for Young at the Pyle Center on the UW-Madison campus, where Young earned her law degree in 1983. She died Nov. 18 after a decade-long battle with cancer at age 74.

Hosted by Young's husband, Crawford Young, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and their four daughters, Eva, Louise, Estelle and Emily, the memorial featured remembrances by former Assembly Speaker Tom Loftus, U.S. Rep. Gwendolyn Moore, Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk, friend Debora Kennedy, daughter Louise, state Democratic Party Chair Joe Wineke, and Mary Lou Munts, who served as the Assembly representative for the 76th District right before Young.

Go read the whole thing.

Becky Does Charades

Eve Galanter on Becky Young

I have many vivid memories of Becky over these past 30 years -- all of them involved her as an inspiration, including all the time she devoted to being one of the smartest, most effective women in public service. I recall how hard we had to work to get her to buy a new outfit and get her hair done for a publicity shot for one of her campaigns......"this isn't about how I want to look," she kept saying as she ignored and/or fought our efforts, "this is about what I want to achieve."

Former Madison Mayor, Paul Soglin Remembers Becky Young

Soglin spoke at Mother's Woman of the Year award years go. Here's what he has to say now.

Becky Young: Mom, Lawyer, Legislator, Educator, Friend, Environmentalist

Becky Young never asked for anything in return.

She simply did the right thing. Rather than worry about the political consequences or the political payback, she asked nothing more than you do the same.

Whether it was transportation planning or children, family enhancement or university expansion, she demonstrated real leadership. She engaged citizens and colleagues, with purpose, because the reward was the successful program or plan, not personal aggrandizement.

She came from what I call the 'Tom Sawyer' school of management. She got everyone to paint the fence, though unlike Tom, she never sat by idly; she was a full participant.