House Resolution 59

A RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING AND COMMENDING HERBERT YOUNG FOR HIS REMARKABLE SUCCESS AS ONE OF THE BEST GOLDEN GLOVES BOXERS IN THE SOUTH.

WHEREAS, Herbert Young, a mild-mannered and soft spoken jeweler and businessman, was once regarded as one the of best Golden Gloves boxers in the south, winning multiple state and Mid-South boxing titles from 1959 through 1962; and

WHEREAS, although Mr. Young would never brag about his success in the ring, he remembers his boxing days with great pride and fondness, saying that he absolutely loved to box and always enjoyed the exhilaration he experienced just by putting on the gloves; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Young grew up in State Line, Mississippi, and got his start in boxing during high school when Coach Carpenter took him and some friends to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, to participate in a boxing tournament, where his youth and inexperience showed in his first fight when he was "whipped by a college boy"; and

WHEREAS, after his early fights, Mr. Young left Hattiesburg and loyally spent two years in the U.S. Army, including a sixteen month deployment to Korea, and although he did not participate in any boxing events while serving, he kept his skills sharp in the occasional tussles between soldiers; and

WHEREAS, in 1959 while working on an oil rig, Mr. Young decided to enroll in the Golden Gloves program at the local airbase, and even though his buddy chickened out, Mr. Young stuck with it and competed that first year as a novice with the Airbase Boxing Team; and

WHEREAS, through pure grit and determination, Mr. Young won the 147 pound welterweight class in the Jackson City Tournament, even though he was just a novice, and went on to claim the overall Mississippi title in 1959; and

WHEREAS, in February 1959, Mr. Young and the other members of the Mississippi team traveled to Memphis, Tennessee, to take on fighters from several mid-south states and contend for the Mid-South Golden Gloves Championship, and before it was over, Mr. Young knocked out his opponent in short order, won the championship and solidified a reputation that would follow him for several years; and

WHEREAS, after winning the Mid-South Golden Gloves Championship in 1959, Mr. Young took a job with his brother as a painting contractor which allowed him to return to Jackson every January and February to train and compete; and

WHEREAS, although work kept him out of competition in 1961, Mr. Young won the Jackson City and Mississippi Open Welterweight titles in 1960 and 1961, barely missed out on a second Mid-South Championship in 1960, and retired from boxing after winning the Mississippi state title in 1962; and

WHEREAS, training for the Golden Gloves requires hard work and dedication, traits that Mr. Young had in spades, often working all day in his job and then training at night by sparring, hitting the heavy bag and skipping ropes; and

WHEREAS, after laying down the gloves, Mr. Young decided to settle down as well, taking a job as a barber and buying Albert Griffin's barber shop in 1966; and

WHEREAS, after buying the barber shop, Mr. Young enrolled in Jones County Junior College where he learned the craft of watch repair, and afterwards, he made a living barbering and repairing watches, a combination which lasted for several years before he turned his attention to the jewelry business in 1992; and

WHEREAS, now at 81 years of age, Mr. Young plans to travel with his wife and sweetheart, Joan, and continue to take on new challenges, including playing the violin, hopefully finding the same success that he did in the ring; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of the House of Representatives to commend outstanding Mississippians such as Herbert Young, an unassuming yet remarkable athlete whose success as a Golden Gloves boxer many years ago continues to bring honor to our state to this very day:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby recognize and commend Herbert Young for his outstanding career as one of the best Golden Gloves boxers in the south and extend best wishes for continued success in all of his future endeavors.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to Herbert Young and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.