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The McKay School joins his wife, Janet, his eight children, and countless others in mourning the death of K. Richard Young. After earning several degrees, serving in the U.S. Army, and working as a principal, Young served in the College of Education at Utah State University before a 20-year career at the McKay School, including 10 years as dean. He was an esteemed teacher, professor, psychologist, researcher, and mentor.
At a 2005 BYU devotional, Young called kindness “a celestial touchstone,” referring to the use of a hard, black “touchstone” to test the quality of gold. The higher the gold’s quality, the more yellow the mark that gold made on a touchstone. He added: “As we reflect on both our imperfections and our acts of kindness, we might ask ourselves: Are we sensitive enough to the needs of others? . . . Do we brighten the day of those who are discouraged, commend those who are becoming stronger in their struggles, or encourage those who have experienced failure and want to give up just short of success? . . . I pray that we may be more aware of our actions and devote ourselves to achieving constancy in kindness.”
Photo courtesy of the Young family