A senate RESOLUTION

TO EXPRESS deepest appreciation OF THE MEMBERS OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA Senate to Tommy Scott Young for the impact he has made on the fine arts and the performing arts in the Palmetto state.

Whereas, born in Blair on December 13, 1943, Tommy Scott Young is the son of the late Nancy Lee Thompson Young and John Robert (Rice) Young.  He gave his life to Christ and joined the Gethsemane Baptist Church at an early age.  While living in Los Angeles, he attended the Holman Methodist Church, where he sang in the choir; and

Whereas, Mr. Young attended Gethsemane Elementary School, McCrorey Liston High School, and St. Emma Military Academy, after which he served in the United States Air Force.  He attended Benedict College for two years, then transferred to California State University at Los Angeles, where he earned a bachelor's degree in fine arts and theatre, and he pursued graduate work in sculpting; and

Whereas, in Los Angeles, he studied with such actors as Kathleen Freeman and Yaphet Koto.  He trained Roger Mosely when he worked with the Watts Writers Workshop.  In collaboration with Angela Davis, Jane Fonda, and Quincy Jones, he wrote and produced the play, Angela, about the life of Angela Davis.  He worked with Jester Hairston from the television show Amen to hone his piano skills; and

Whereas, Mr. Young performed classical, traditional, and modern storytelling throughout the nation and was an artist-in-residence for the arts councils and commissions in North Carolina, Georgia, and South Carolina.  He taught at the University of Southern California, UCLA, and Benedict College.  He was a guest of Her Majesty's Eastern Arts Council in 1988, during which time he completed a tour of England, performing at many hamlets, towns, and cities throughout the United Kingdom; and

Whereas, he resided in New York City for several years, studying at The New School College of Performing Arts, and became a storyteller-in-residence at the Lincoln Center Institute where his performances and teachings reached hundreds of individuals; and

Whereas, when he returned to South Carolina, he was instrumental in establishing Christ Unity Church of Columbia.  Most notably, he founded and directed the Kitani Foundation to "enable school children in South Carolina to see nationally known artists and to promote outstanding performing artists in the State," which from 1977 to 1983, brought more than twenty-five nationally acclaimed performing artists and groups to the State: Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Eliot Feld Ballet, A Chorus Line, The Jung Su Song and Dance Troupe of China, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and Dance Theatre of Harlem, reaching tens of thousands of students and the general public; and

Whereas, the Kitani Foundation founded Mayfest and the Artists-in-Schools Program for Richland County School District I and brought national performing artists to the State pre-dating the Koger Center for the Performing Arts.  In 1979, Kitani was awarded the South Carolina Arts Commission's prestigious Elizabeth O'Neil Verner Award for "outstanding contributions to the arts in South Carolina"; and

Whereas, books written by this gifted author include Tommy Scott Young Spins Magical Tales and Black Blues and Shiny Songs, a book of poetry; and

Whereas, the members of the South Carolina Senate are grateful for the storied life and legacy of Tommy Young, poet, playwright, author, producer, teacher, sculptor, and storyteller, and for the example of joy and art he sets for all who know him.  Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the Senate:

That the members of the South Carolina Senate, by this resolution, express their deepest appreciation to Tommy Scott Young for the impact he has made on the fine arts and the performing arts in the Palmetto State.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Tommy Scott Young.

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