Donald Young (choir director)
Donald Young | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 5, 1960 |
| Died | December 23, 2007 (aged 47) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Multiple gunshot wounds |
| Resting place | Oak Woods Cemetery, Cook County, Illinois, U.S. 41°46′23″N 87°36′00″W / 41.77306°N 87.60012°W (approximate) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation(s) | Fifth grade teacher Choir director |
| Known for | Unsolved murder victim |
Donald Young (April 5, 1960 – December 23, 2007) was an American Choir Director of Trinity United Church which Barack Obama attended for twenty years before the Barack Obama 2008 presidential campaign and was found murdered on December 24, 2007.[1][2]
Early life and education[edit]
Young was the fourth youngest of eight siblings. He started attending Trinity United Church at age 12, on his own, without parental encouragement and was known as the type of person to live every day to the fullest and made a positive impression on those who met him. His Reverend Jeremiah Wright described him as "one of those success stories".[3]
Young was reported to have recently completed a double master's degree in early child education and mathematics before his murder.[3]
Career[edit]
Young worked for over 20 years as Director of the Trinity United Church of Christ Choir, a well known African-American church in Chicago where he also served as a Deacon. Young was also a teacher of fourth and fifth grade children at the Guggenheim Elementary School.[1][3]
Reverend Stacey Edwards-Dunn, a member of the church staff said of Young; "He was always so energetic and enthusiastic about the church and about music".[4]
Mysterious Deaths[edit]
Chicago Police said Young was found by his roommate about 7:30 a.m. on Sunday 23rd December 2007, dead from multiple gunshot wounds including at least one to the head. Young's roommate found the door to their apartment on East 69th Street closed but unlocked.[1]
Some valuables were missing from the apartment, but the motive for the homicide was never settled as robbery and the perpetrator(s) have yet to face justice.[1]
A Mystery Writer called Sylvia Ladien was also claimed to have been murdered, manslaughtered or a victim of wrongful death by being over-radiated by Carol Lind to cause Leukemia, from which she died on February 4, 2012, while she was writing a book entitled "Obama and the Murder of Don Young", leaving behind her husband of 50 years, Dr. Kimball Ladien to complete the book that claimed Young had been Obama's lover for over 20 years.[5][6]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d [https://abc7chicago.com/archive/5854125/ Choir conductor found murdered , ABC7, December 24th, 2007]
- ^ Kandpal, Disha, Death of famous choir director Donald Young remains a mystery 16 years later, HITC, 7 September 2023
- ^ a b c Choir conductor found murdered, 2023, retrieved 6 September 2023
- ^ Choir director found slain in apartment, 2007, retrieved 6 September 2023
- ^ https://news.wttw.com/elections/voters-guide/2020/candidates/congressional-districts/kimball-ladien Kimball Ladien, U.S. Congress, 5th District, WTTW News
- ^ https://studylib.net/doc/6757554/vi.-requested-mandatory-and-injunctive-relief---if CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT, LAW DIVISION, Case No.:2013 L 01008