Jay A. Young

Jay A. Young, 91, a chemical safety expert and consultant, died on Oct. 13 at home in Silver Spring, Md.

Young earned a B.S. in chemistry from Indiana University in 1939 and an A.M. in physical chemistry from Oberlin College, in Ohio, in 1940.

He then joined the Asbestos Manufacturing Co. and served as its chief chemist for two years, before joining the Navy and working as an ordnance engineer with the U.S. War Department in Washington, D.C., and on Bikini Atoll. After World War II, he served for many years in the Navy Reserve, retiring at the rank of commander.

Young earned a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the University of Notre Dame in 1950. He joined the chemistry faculty at King’s College, in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., and served as department chair, leaving in 1969 to become a visiting professor at Carleton University, in Ottawa, Ontario. In 1975, he was named the Hudson Professor of Chemistry at Auburn University, in Alabama, where he remained for five years. He then spent two years as a visiting professor at Florida State University, in Tallahassee.

Young moved to Silver Spring in 1977 to become a manager of technical publications for the Chemical Manufacturers Association (CMA). He began his consulting career in chemical health and safety in 1980.

Young was an emeritus member of ACS, joining in 1946. He was active in the ACS Division of Chemical Health & Safety (CHAS) and was a consultant to the ACS Committee on Chemical Safety for 17 years. He received CMA’s Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Chemistry and two awards from CHAS: the Tillmanns-Skolnick Award and the Chemical Health & Safety Award. Young was named an ACS Fellow in 2009. He wrote many journal articles and books on chemical safety.

He served in leadership roles with the Boy Scouts of America and enjoyed gardening, metalworking, and woodworking.

Young is survived by his wife, Mary Ann; nine sons; eight daughters; 47 grandchildren; and 27 great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his first wife, Anne; a son; and a daughter.