I first met Donald Young in the 1980s, when I was still in high school. It was at the Westchester Coin Show in White Plains, New York. At the time, I could hardly have imagined that the gentle, scholarly man before me would one day become such an important mentor and dear friend in my life.
Donald passed away last September in New York. When the news reached me, nearly forty years of memories began to unfold with a quiet clarity.
To the world, he was the author of more than twenty books on national parks, a senior member of the Sierra Club-once a candidate for its Board of Directors in 1993-and a dedicated advocate for conservation. He also served for years as senior editor of the Encyclopedia Americana. These accomplishments live on in his published works: The Great American Desert, The Sierra Club Book of Our National Parks, National Parks of America, among others.
Yet to me, he was always "Don"-the keen and enthusiasticconnoisseur of the numismatic world.
In 1989, before I left to study in Tokyo, I often visited his apartment at 166 East 61st Street in New York, selling him portions of my coin collection. When I returned from Japan in 1992, with somewhat greater means, Donald kindly allowed me to buy back many of those same pieces.
Our friendship deepened over the years under the lights of coin shows. From 1993 until 2018, we shared a table at the annual American Numismatic Association World’s Fair of Money-first with Glenn Schinke, and later joined by our dear friend from Germany, Philip Kapaan. Donald still setup at the annual New York International Numismatic Convention, where Champion was fellow shareholders, right up through 2023. That year, while transporting his inventory to a show, he injured his ankle. Not long after, he sold his remaining numismatic stock and retired fully by that summer. I still recall the full-page ads he used to place in World Coin News, each one brimming with fascinating world medals and coins-a testament to his expertise and passion.
His travels extended far beyond the U.S. He made many trips to coin shows in Europe, like Munich and Berlin, with Phillip Kaapan. Beyond business, they went on hikes together.
Donald was a gentleman whose breadth of knowledge commanded deep respect. I feel profoundly honored to have known him-not only as a mentor and friend, but as a man of exquisite taste in his numismatic inventory of interesting background and eye appeal.
We will miss him dearly. We will miss his gentle conversation, the thoughtful spark of curiosity in his eyes, and his everreadiness to share-whether in his apartment on 61st Street, or amid the bustle of a convention hall.