Native Oklahoman Stanton L. Young graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1950 and spent a year in graduate work. Having studied business, geography, and geology, he plunged into the oil business, conducting explorations in Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Texas. Later he invested in Journey House Travel, soft drink franchises, and real estate. In 1969 he gained prominence in Oklahoma City and statewide when, as president of the city’s chamber of commerce, he played a key role in finding a solution to a sanitation workers strike.

Mr. Young has served as chairman and member of several health care, civil rights, and economic development organizations including the Dean A. McGee Eye Institute, the National Corporations Committee of the United Negro College Fund, and the Oklahoma Health Center. He served as president of the foundation he established with his wife, the Barbara and Stanton Young Foundation, and in 1997 a new biomedical research building at the OU Health Sciences Center was named in his honor. In 2000 he was among the first six ever honored as a “Living Treasure” by the Oklahoma Health Center Foundation.