Kenneth Glenn Younger Jr.

Kenneth Glenn Younger, Jr.
'Ken'
GASTONIA -- Mr. Younger, 80, of 3639 Country Club Drive, died Tuesday, December 27, 2005 at his residence. Born in Raleigh, NC, raised in Tampa, Florida, Ken is the son of the late Kenneth Glenn Younger, Sr. and Vivian Johnson Younger.
Funeral service is 11:00 AM Friday, December 30, at First United Methodist Church, Gastonia. Dr. Bill Medlin and Bishop Thomas Stockton will officiate. The family will receive friends from 6:00-8:00 PM Thursday, December 29, at the funeral home.
Mr. Younger served in the United States Army Air Corps/15th Air Force during World War II, where from his service in the European Theatre he was awarded the Purple Heart, an Air Medal with seven clusters, four Battle Stars, the Good Conduct Medal, as well as the Presidential Unit Citation. After the war, he entered Duke University on a football scholarship and graduated with the Class of 1949. He began his long and distinguished career in the Transportation Industry with employment at Roadway Express, Sea-Land Services, Inc., Hennis Freight Lines, and Carolina Freight Corporation where he held positions of President and CEO, retiring in 1994 as Carolina Freight's Chairman of the Board.
Through his leadership in the transportation industry, Mr. Younger gave of his talents by serving on many boards including Carolina Freight Corporation, Kenan Transfer, the N.C. Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation. He was the former chairman of the N.C. Trucking Association and Trucking Management, Inc., and also served on the boards of the American Trucking Association, the N.C. State Ports Authority, and the N.C. Port Railway Commission.
His personal ethos was to 'live a good life, treat people the way that he wanted to be treated, and to give when and where he could.' He was loved and beloved by his family and friends. His generosity, wit, and wisdom touched many throughout his life and we have all been blessed. His stewardship of time and resources led to other pursuits and involvement with the following boards: Duke University Trustee Emeriti, Duke University Medical Center Advisory Board, the Governor's Business Council, Gaston Memorial Hospital, the N.C. Sports Hall of Fame, the N.C. Citizens for Business and Industry, and the First Union Corporation. From his many tireless works he was awarded the Boy Scouts of Americas highest award in 1981, the 'Silver Beaver' Award, as well as inducted into the N.C. Order of the Long Leaf Pine in 2002 by Governor Michael Easley. He was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Gastonia, the Gaston Country Club, The Elk River Country Club, Cashie Country Club, and the Boone Country Club. An avid golfer well into retirement, he scored his age on a number of occasions, most recently scoring a 79 in December of 2004.
Survivors include his wife of 54 years, Norma Lee Coleman Younger; daughters, Linda Carlton of Gastonia, Glenn Younger of Vicenza, Italy, and Carol Tate and husband, Tom, of Charlotte; son, Kenneth Glenn Younger, III and wife, Kathleen, of Boone, NC; eight grandchildren; and brother, Dr. Charles J. Younger and wife, Lynn, of Tampa, FL. Mr. Younger was preceded in death by his parents.
Memorials may be made to the Cancer Comprehensive Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C. 27710, or Duke University Athletic Department: Iron Dukes, 116 Cameron Indoor Stadium, Box 90542, Durham, N.C. 27708-0542.
Condolences may be sent online at www.McLeanFuneral.com.
Arrangements are entrusted to McLean Funeral Directors of Gastonia, 1-800-217-9901.