This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: YOUNG, BIRD Classification: Obituary Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/YeB.2ACI/552 Message Board Post: As a youth growing up in the segregated South, Dr. Robert Young Sr. saw something that would shape the rest of his life. An older woman in dire need of medical attention was denied treatment solely because she was black. She later died. "That moment had a significant impact on my father becoming a doctor," said his son Robert Young Jr., a Michigan Supreme Court justice. "He wanted to make certain that no person was ever denied the proper medical care they were entitled to." Although he faced some roadblocks along the way, Dr. Young achieved his lifelong goal. He received his medical degree and set up a clinic in Detroit, where he was a general family practitioner for more than half a century. Dr. Young died of cancer Monday at Evergreen Nursing Home in Southfield. He was 81. "He was such a powerful role model," his son said. "His was a remarkable story of triumph and determination. He faced so many barriers, yet he achieved so much." Born in Clinton, S.C., Dr. Young served in the Army during World War II in Europe, attaining the rank of sergeant. Afterward, he moved to Detroit and attended what was then Wayne University, where he graduated with honors. Despite his academic record, Dr. Young was denied admission to Wayne Medical School because the school already had its quota of black students, his son said. Undeterred, he was accepted at Still Medical School in Des Moines, Iowa, and graduated with his medical degree. In 1960, he financed and built his own medical clinic on Linwood Avenue in Detroit, where he practiced until his retirement in 1997. "He was the last of a dying breed of physicians who cared for family members from cradle to the grave," his son said. Dr. Young was an early advocate for the creation of Botsford General Hospital in Farmington Hills, lending money so construction could begin. His were among the first patients to be admitted when the facility opened in 1965. "He was the classic family physician," said Gerson Cooper, president and chief executive of Botsford Health Care Continuum. "Everybody loved him -- his patients, the other doctors, nurses and aides." For several years, Dr. Young also served as an adjunct professor of clinical medicine at Michigan State University's Medical School. In addition to his son, survivors include his wife of 56 years, Robbie; another son, Dr. Michael Young; a daughter, Judith Young Bird, and eight grandchildren. A memorial service was held Thursday at Swanson Funeral Home in Detroit. His body was cremated. February 4, 2006, Detroit Free Press