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Papers of
Elizabeth L. Young
Processed by: Susan McElrath, October 1991
Revised by: Karen E. King, October 1995
0.5 lin. ft.
Elizabeth L. Young was born in Duluth, Minnesota on August 7, 1943 to Louis and Maude Ramm Young. She received an AB in Philsophy from Wellesley College in 1964, a MA in Broadcasting from American University in 1968, and a PhD in Education from Columbia University in 1970. While at American University, she was the Administrative Assistant to the Dean of Men from 1965 to 1966. From 1966 to 1968, Young was Program Manager for WAMU-FM, the University's Radio Station, and an Instructor at the University's Institute for Life Time Learning. Part of her job as Program Manager included producing a television program every three months as part of a university consortium project along with the University of Maryland, Gallaudet University and other institutions of higher education in the Washington, DC area. She was also a Lecturer for American's Department of Communications in 1967. While in Washington, she also served as Secretary for the Eastern Educational Network in 1967, helping to make it into an active association for tape exchange.
She moved to New York City to begin her PhD studies at Columbia when she received a CBS Foundation Fellowship for 1968-1969. In 1969, she worked at radio station WRVR as the Producer of Public Affairs and Cultural Programs and at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) as the Assistant to Al Hulsen, Director of Radio Activities. During this period, she remained connected to Washington through her work as a Counsellor on Public Speaking for the Washington Urban League. In her work at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, she was involved in the creation of National Public Radio (NPR). In June 1970, the Radio Activities Office moved to Washington, DC, and Young went with it. That September she went on board at NPR, serving as acting secretary until they elected officers. In December 1970, Young became Manager of Station Relations, and became its first director in June 1971. There, Young developed services including regional workshops, the Report to Members, and the Station Handbook.
She retained her connections to CPB and acted as their consultant in 1974 for a study on the role of women in public broadcasting. That same year, in December, Young was elected to the board of directors of the National Association of Educational Broadcasters for a three-year term. Wanting to learn more about television, Young went to Kansas in the fall of 1974. By 1975, she was working as the Executive Director of the Kansas Public Telecommunications Commission in Topeka. In this capacity, she authored a plan to expand public broadcasting in Kansas, which received state support in 1977. Meanwhile, starting June 1976, Young was the director of the Ohio State University's Telecommunications Center in Columbus. The Center is administratively responsible for stations WOSU, WOSU-FM, WOSU-TV, and WPBO-TV (Portsmouth). Finally, Young showed a strong interest in the arts and humanities while in Ohio. She served on the Greater Columbus Arts Council, the Metropolitan Learning Community, the Columbus Symphony Association, and the Committee for Public Programs in the Humanities in Ohio.
On June 1, 1979, Young replaced John Witherspoon as president of the Public Service Satellite Consortium. She held this post and the position of president of the PSSC's partially owned subsidiary Services by Satellite (SatServ) until 1984 when the PSSC board voted to separate the presidencies. In 1983, Young served on many boards such as: Space Applications Board of the National Research Council, Board of EDUCOM, the University of Mid-America National Panel of Advisors, and the Advisory Council for the National University Consortium. While still remaining on the PSSC Board of Directors, Young accepted a position as Vice President of Marketing at COMSAT General Corporation in Maritime Services and is now the Vice President for INMARSAT Policy and Representation Support.
The Papers of Elizabeth L. Young cover the years 1969 to 1974. The collection documents her work in radio for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and at National Public Radio during its formative period. There is also material on the role of women in public broadcasting from a CPB task force on which Young was a consultant. Included in this collection are the articles of incorporation and by-laws of National Public Radio among other documents relating to its formation.
The collection consists of one series:
The Papers of Elizabeth L. Young were given to the National Public Broadcasting Archives, University of Maryland Libraries by Elizabeth L. Young in June of 1988
Series 1: Personal Papers, 1969-1974 (0.5 lin. ft.)
This series documents the role of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in radio and in the formation of National Public Radio. Issues addressed include the role of women in public broadcasting and the optimal role of National Public Radio and its President. This series includes articles of incorporation, by-laws, correspondence, and memoranda. The arrangement is alphabetical by subject.
