Blog Post #6
Topic: William T. Young Himself
Many know about the William T. Young Library, but few know much of anything about William T. Young the man. Unfortunately, he died in 2004, however the New York Times wrote and article commemorating his life. -http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/14/sports/william-t-young-85-owner-and-breeder-of-racehorses.html--
William T. Young was born in 1918 and in 1939 he graduated from the University of Kentucky with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He went on to become a prominent thoroughbred owner and founded the company that would one day turn into Jif peanut butter. Young was very successful in the horse industry and raised a horse named Storm Car, who while was never a huge success on the race track, he could fetch stud fees of $500,000 easily. Also at one point in his career Young owned a very large amount of Royal Crown and found himself on the boards of both Arby's and KFC. Through all this he is most well known for his 1996 Kentucky Derby winner Grindstone. Shortly after this in 1998, the William T. Young Library was finished with a generous $5 million donation from Young himself.'
With all the success that William T. Young had, one can't but wonder why he remained in Lexington and the University of Kentucky. Was it just because this is where horses are king? Or could it be that because he graduated from the University of Kentucky he had a certain attachment to the school. Looking into the events of his life would make a great documentary and is worthy of further research.
--Stephen Ritchie
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