Avis Bembry and J.T. Young on the swing, at Pensacola State College, which has been dedicated to the memory of their mother Mabel Young. Back row, from left: Joseph and Victoria Young; Deidre Young; Kateri Tucker; Michelle, Jordan and Thomas Young.
Young family gathers for the dedication of a campus swing and tree planted in matriarch’s honor
Pensacola State College has honored the memory of Mabel Young, mother of Avis Bembry and Jarl “J.T.” Young, with the dedication of a newly installed swing and maple tree on the Pensacola campus. Family members who gathered for the dedication ceremony on Wednesday, May 14, include Bembry; Young and his wife Deidre; grandson Thomas Young, his wife Michelle and son Jordan; grandson Joseph Young and his wife Victoria; and niece Kateri Tucker.
Nearly all of the family members present have a connection to PSC. J.T. Young and Bembry are Pensacola Junior College alumni. Thomas and Joseph Young were enrolled in classes at PSC, and Tucker’s grandfather, the late Robert Walker, was an instructor at the college. Even the toddler, Jordan, is enrolled at PSC for swimming lessons.
“The Youngs are civic-minded. They have been very supportive of the college through many, many years and particularly are friends of the PSC Foundation,” said PSC President Ed Meadows, Ed.D.
In 2019, J.T. and Deidre Young established the Aspire Higher Scholarship Fund for PSC students seeking higher education in STEM or business-related fields, and he was recognized as an outstanding alumnus, receiving the Life Achievement Award from the PSC Alumni Association.
“We have a long legacy of Pensacola State College. We had an uncle who was a professor here, and my dad was a contributor to WSRE,” said J.T. Young. “Mom’s legacy is of optimism and hope, and she encouraged us to get our education. She didn’t have a formal one, but she always encouraged Avis and me to pursue our education because she knew that’s where we could thrive and be contributors to our community. So, Pensacola State College certainly was crucial.”
Deidre Young, a former Board of Trustees member at the college, said that the college’s former long-time motto of “You can get there from here” has rung true for the family. “We love that about Pensacola State College,” she said. “All of us participated and were students at some point at the college, and we thank God, through Granny and her legacy and all the other things that are involved, that we did get to where we were going from Pensacola State.”
The newly dedicated swing is located on the lawn between the Administration Building (Bldg. 7) and the Student Center (Bldg. 5).