Young, Thomas Daniel
Dates
- Existence: 22 October 1919 - 29 January 1997
Biography
Thomas Daniel Young was born October 22, 1919, in Louisville, Mississippi. He received his B.A. from the University of Southern Mississippi, his M.A. from the University of Mississippi, and his Ph.D. from Vanderbilt in 1950. At Vanderbilt, he studied with Donald Davidson and Richmond Beatty. During World War II, Young served in the Army Air Corps (1942-1945), and was stationed in England for part of that time. He taught Southern Literature and American Literature at the University of Southern Mississippi from 1950-1957 and at Delta State University from 1957-1961, where he also served as Dean. In 1961, Young came to Vanderbilt as Director of Undergraduate Admissions and also Associate Professor of English. Later, he was an assistant to the Vice-Chancellor. From 1963-1973, he served as Chairman of the English Department, and in 1972 he was named the first recipient of the Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professorship of English. Dr. Young retired from Vanderbilt in 1985. Dr. Young was the author of 25 books and almost two hundred articles. Among his works are: The Literary Correspondence of Donald Davidson and Allen Tate; The New Criticism and After; John Crowe Ransom: An Annotated Bibliography; The Lytle-Tate Letters; and Fabulous Provinces: A Memoir. His authorized biography of John Crowe Ransom, Gentleman in a Dustcoat won the Jules F. Landry Award. In 1952-1953, Dr. Young served as President of the Southern Literature Festival Association. He was a member of the American Association of University Professors, the Modern Language Association, Phi Delta Kappa, and Omicron Delta Kappa. Professor Young married Arlease Lewis in 1941, and the couple had two sons, Thomas Daniel and Terry Lewis. Dr. Young died in Bay Springs, Mississippi January 29, 1997.