R. Kent Young
1940-2018
R. Kent Young age 78, Antigonish, passed away on August 24,
2018 in St. Martha’s Regional Hospital,
Antigonish.
Kent was born in Sudbury on May 27, 1940 to Dorothy Ellen
(Kent) and Clarence Alvin Young. Kent grew up in Copper
Cliff, Ontario and studied at University of Toronto from 1958 to 1967,
earning a Bachelor of Applied Science in 1962, a Master of Applied
Science in 1964 and finally a Ph.D. in Thermodynamic Engineering in
1968. While in Toronto, in 1959, he met and fell in love with
Wenda Lee Gimby, who was teaching at Cedervale Elementary
School. They were married in 1962 and spent the next 55 years
together until her death eight months
ago.
Following his studies at U of T, Kent worked as an engineer
for Corning Glass Works in New York State, where his daughter, Ruth
Ellen was born in 1967 in Toronto. He took a position in his hometown
of Sudbury working for International Nickel from
1970-73. His, son, Edward Gordon, was born in Sudbury in
1970. In 1973, the Young family moved to London, Ontario where Kent
would earn the Gold Medal in University of Western Ontario’s
MBA program in 1975.
In 1976 Kent joined St. Francis Xavier’s Business Department
where he would teach passionately until his retirement in
2005. Kent was a student-focused professor who took a genuine
interest in the careers of his students and stayed in touch with many
graduates. Rather than the usual focus on
“organizational theory” or “management theory”,
Kent’s management courses took the perspective of the
individual manager navigating his or her way through the constraints
and challenges posed by bureaucracies and co-workers. This pragmatic
approach to management studies was well received by students who often
commented on how helpful Kent’s courses were as they
encountered the challenges of building a career.
Kent received StFX’s outstanding teaching award in
1997.
Outside of his professional and family life, Kent’s two great
passions were sailing and gardening. As a teenager, he build
his first sailboat with his father. In the late 1960s and 1970s he
sailed a Y-flyer and an Albacore. Sailing the Albacore with
his wife Wenda, he won many Round Lake regattas in the 70s and
80s. In the early 1980s he sailed a Laser and a
Windsurfer. For the past 30 years he has sailed the Bra
D’Or Lakes in Cape Breton Island, first in Sundance his PY23
and then in his beloved C&C 30 “Galadriel”, winning
club races in the St. Peters and Dundee areas.
Kent will be missed by family and friends. He is survived by
his daughter Ruth Ellen (Terry), his son Edward Gordon (Lindsay),
grand-daughter, Madeleine Claire and his brothers Barry (Ancastor, ON)
and Don (Hamilton, ON).
Funeral service Friday, September 7 at 4:00 PM at St.
Jame’s United Church, Main Street,
Antigonish.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the St.
Martha’s Regional Hospital Foundation. Online
condolences: www.clcurry.com
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of R Kent Young 19402018..
Death notice for the town of: Antigonish, Province: Nova Scotia