Don Ray Young ~ Class of 1951

                             Don Ray Young was born on October 8th, 1933, in Cedar City, Utah. Don’s family moved to Northern Nevada in 1942 when his father was employed by the Southern Pacific Railroad. The family relocated to Sparks in 1946 where Don attended a trio of Sparks schools culminating with his graduation from Sparks High School in 1951. Don married the former Madeleine Ebeling in 1952 and they are the proud parents of three daughters (Cheryl, Suzanna, and Annette).

            Don then started a career, following in his father’s footsteps, and became a locomotive fireman for the railroad. A friend and neighbor, who was a member of the Sparks Fire Department, urged Don to join the department as a volunteer firefighter in 1957. He became a paid member of the department and worked his way through the ranks until his retirement as Fire Chief in 1990.

            Chief Young, representing the Nevada Fire Chief’s Association, appeared before the University of Nevada Board of Regents and was successful in getting an associate degree in the Fire Science Program initiated. Don was one of the first in western Nevada to earn the newly recognized degree. The Sparks Fire Department joined the digital age under his leadership. Don initiated several programs including a computer aided dispatch system, national fire incident reporting, and fire fighter certification. Don considers one of his proudest accomplishments to be when he facilitated the Reno and Truckee Meadows Fire Chiefs to join Sparks in the formation of the Regional Hazardous Materials Response Team.

Inducted 2019