David Allan Young
Encyclopedia
David Allan Young, Jr. was an American entomologist
who specialized in the taxonomy of the Cicadellidae and authored a comprehensive treatment of the family with numerous genera and species described and named by him.
and high school in Louisville
. He studied at the University of Louisville
and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts
in 1939. He then taught science at the Louisville Public School System and later studied entomology
at the Cornell University
and obtained a Master of Science
in 1942.
He then joined the US Army as a private and was honorably discharged as a first lieutenant
in 1945. He then became an instructor in the Biology department at the University of Louisville. He worked under Dr R. H. Beamer and obtained a doctorate in entomology in 1950.
He then worked as a taxonomist in the United States National Museum, Washington, D.C. working on the identification of insects in the quarantine procedures of the United States Department of Agriculture
.
He took up a position of an associate professor at the North Carolina State University
in 1957 and continued his systematic work on leafhoppers. His work on the world fauna of leafhoppers included descriptions of 807 new species,207 new genera and a new tribe. His Taxonomic study of the Cicadellinae (Homoptera:Cicadellidae) with 2061 pages covered 292 genera around the world and was published in three parts between 1968 and 1986. J.P. Kramer (1978, Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 80:456) declared Part 2 of it as "the most outstanding and most comprehensive single volume ever produced on a large segment of the Cicadellidae."
His work was honored by the North Carolina Entomological Society with an award for Outstanding Contribution to Entomology in 1976. He was a fellow of the Washington Academy of Science
He died of an aneurysm
on 8 June 1991. The D.A. Young Memorial Symposium Characters for the Higher Classification of Cicadellidae was held in his honor at the 8th International Auchenorrhyncha Congress in Delphi, Greece, August 1993.
A leafhopper species Neolaccogrypota youngi from Peru
has been named after him.
Entomology
Entomology is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology...
who specialized in the taxonomy of the Cicadellidae and authored a comprehensive treatment of the family with numerous genera and species described and named by him.
Life and work
David Young's father was a traveling salesman and he attended school in western PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and high school in Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
. He studied at the University of Louisville
University of Louisville
The University of Louisville is a public university in Louisville, Kentucky. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of the first universities chartered west of the Allegheny Mountains. The university is mandated by the Kentucky General...
and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in 1939. He then taught science at the Louisville Public School System and later studied entomology
Entomology
Entomology is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology...
at the Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
and obtained a Master of Science
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
in 1942.
He then joined the US Army as a private and was honorably discharged as a first lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
in 1945. He then became an instructor in the Biology department at the University of Louisville. He worked under Dr R. H. Beamer and obtained a doctorate in entomology in 1950.
He then worked as a taxonomist in the United States National Museum, Washington, D.C. working on the identification of insects in the quarantine procedures of the United States Department of Agriculture
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
.
He took up a position of an associate professor at the North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, coeducational, extensive research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Commonly known as NC State, the university is part of the University of North Carolina system and is a land, sea, and space grant institution...
in 1957 and continued his systematic work on leafhoppers. His work on the world fauna of leafhoppers included descriptions of 807 new species,207 new genera and a new tribe. His Taxonomic study of the Cicadellinae (Homoptera:Cicadellidae) with 2061 pages covered 292 genera around the world and was published in three parts between 1968 and 1986. J.P. Kramer (1978, Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 80:456) declared Part 2 of it as "the most outstanding and most comprehensive single volume ever produced on a large segment of the Cicadellidae."
His work was honored by the North Carolina Entomological Society with an award for Outstanding Contribution to Entomology in 1976. He was a fellow of the Washington Academy of Science
He died of an aneurysm
Aneurysm
An aneurysm or aneurism is a localized, blood-filled balloon-like bulge in the wall of a blood vessel. Aneurysms can commonly occur in arteries at the base of the brain and an aortic aneurysm occurs in the main artery carrying blood from the left ventricle of the heart...
on 8 June 1991. The D.A. Young Memorial Symposium Characters for the Higher Classification of Cicadellidae was held in his honor at the 8th International Auchenorrhyncha Congress in Delphi, Greece, August 1993.
A leafhopper species Neolaccogrypota youngi from Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
has been named after him.
Selected publications
- Young D. A. 1968. Taxonomic study of the Cicadellinae (Homoptera: Cicadellidae). Part 1. Proconiini. Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. 261:1–287.
- Young D. A. 1977. Taxonomic Study of the Cicadellinae (Homoptera: Cicadellidae). Part 2. New World Cicadellini and the Genus Cicadella.. North Carolina Agric. Exp. Sta. Tech. Bull. 239:1–1135.
- Young D. A. 1986. Taxonomic Study of the Cicadellinae (Homoptera: Cicadellidae), Part 3. Old World Cicadellini. North Carolina Agric. Res. Ser. Tech. Bull. 281:1–639.
- Young D. A. Jr. (1957) The leafhopper tribe Alebrini (Homoptera: Cicadellidae) Proceedings of the United States National Museum 107: 127-277