Perry Deane Young
Encyclopedia
Perry Deane Young is a journalist
, author
, playwright
, historian
, and professional gardener
. He is the author of Two of the Missing, about fellow journalists Sean Flynn
and Dana Stone
, who went missing during the Vietnam War
and whose fates remain unknown, and the co-author of The David Kopay Story, a biography of 1970's professional football
player David Kopay
, who revealed in 1975 that he is gay
.
, near Asheville
, the youngest of 13 children. His mother was Rheba Maphry Tipton Young. His father, Robert, died in 1958. He edited his high school newspaper and earned a scholarship to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
in 1959. He graduated in 1994.
failed gubernatorial campaign in 1964, and joined the Army Reserves in 1966. He then went to work for United Press International
in 1967.
Young took an assignment with UPI in Vietnam, arriving in Saigon
on January 29, 1968, and his first story was about the Tet Offensive, which began later that night. While covering the war, he roomed with fellow journalists Tim Page, Sean Flynn
, and Nik Wheeler
. He left after witnessing the near-fatal injuries to Page. In 1975, his book Two of the Missing was published. The memoir
was based on a magazine article of the same name that Young wrote in Harper's Magazine
in December 1972, with the intention of later writing a book about the disappearance of Flynn and Stone. He had met and worked with them in Vietnam covering the war, and they went missing after Young had left.
Ater reading of Kopay's post-retirement revelation of being gay, Young offered to help Kopay write a book. The offer was accepted, and in 1977, the book became the first book about a sports figure to appear on the New York Times Best Seller list
. For a time, Young and Kopay lived together in Washington, D.C.
A Killing Cure, about Evelyn Walker's malpractice suit against psychiatrist Zane Parzen, was published in 1982. In a 1998 profile, Young revealed that "[the] book made no money at all, and it was a disaster."
He was a columnist for The Chapel Hill Herald from 1996–2003.
, writing candidly about it in Two of the Missing, and has written or co-written books with gay-related themes, including The David Kopay Story and Lesbians and Gays and Sports. He has lived in the basement of a non-profit counseling and support group in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
, working around the building in lieu of rent, since 1993.
; originally published in 1977) (reissued 2005 by iUniverse
) (with Evelyn Walker)
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, and professional gardener
Gardening
Gardening is the practice of growing and cultivating plants. Ornamental plants are normally grown for their flowers, foliage, or overall appearance; useful plants are grown for consumption , for their dyes, or for medicinal or cosmetic use...
. He is the author of Two of the Missing, about fellow journalists Sean Flynn
Sean Flynn
Sean Leslie Flynn was an American actor and freelance photojournalist best known for his coverage of the Vietnam War. He started a news service in Saigon with John Steinbeck IV, son of the American author.Flynn was the only child of the marriage of Errol Flynn and Lili Damita...
and Dana Stone
Dana Stone
Dana Stone was a U.S. photo-journalist best known for his work for CBS during the Vietnam War....
, who went missing during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
and whose fates remain unknown, and the co-author of The David Kopay Story, a biography of 1970's professional football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player David Kopay
David Kopay
David Marquette Kopay is a former American football running back in the National Football League who in 1975 became one of the first professional athletes to come out as gay....
, who revealed in 1975 that he is gay
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
.
Biography
Young was born in Woodfin, North CarolinaWoodfin, North Carolina
Woodfin is a town in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,464 in 2008. It is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The Town of Woodfin is named in honor of Nicholas Washington Woodfin, a renowned lawyer and statesman of early North Carolina, under whom...
, near Asheville
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...
, the youngest of 13 children. His mother was Rheba Maphry Tipton Young. His father, Robert, died in 1958. He edited his high school newspaper and earned a scholarship to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
in 1959. He graduated in 1994.
Career
Dropping out of UNC, Young worked several jobs. He worked as part of Richardson Preyer'sL. Richardson Preyer
Lunsford Richardson Preyer , who typically went by 'Richardson' or 'Rich,' was a jurist and a U.S. representative in Congress from North Carolina. He was the grandson of inventor Lunsford Richardson...
failed gubernatorial campaign in 1964, and joined the Army Reserves in 1966. He then went to work for United Press International
United Press International
United Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...
in 1967.
Young took an assignment with UPI in Vietnam, arriving in Saigon
Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City , formerly named Saigon is the largest city in Vietnam...
on January 29, 1968, and his first story was about the Tet Offensive, which began later that night. While covering the war, he roomed with fellow journalists Tim Page, Sean Flynn
Sean Flynn
Sean Leslie Flynn was an American actor and freelance photojournalist best known for his coverage of the Vietnam War. He started a news service in Saigon with John Steinbeck IV, son of the American author.Flynn was the only child of the marriage of Errol Flynn and Lili Damita...
, and Nik Wheeler
Nik Wheeler
Nik Wheeler is a British-born photographer, known for taking what for years was the only known photograph of Carlos the Jackal. He began his career as a photojournalist during the Vietnam War....
. He left after witnessing the near-fatal injuries to Page. In 1975, his book Two of the Missing was published. The memoir
Memoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
was based on a magazine article of the same name that Young wrote in Harper's Magazine
Harper's Magazine
Harper's Magazine is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts, with a generally left-wing perspective. It is the second-oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. . The current editor is Ellen Rosenbush, who replaced Roger Hodge in January 2010...
in December 1972, with the intention of later writing a book about the disappearance of Flynn and Stone. He had met and worked with them in Vietnam covering the war, and they went missing after Young had left.
Ater reading of Kopay's post-retirement revelation of being gay, Young offered to help Kopay write a book. The offer was accepted, and in 1977, the book became the first book about a sports figure to appear on the New York Times Best Seller list
New York Times Best Seller list
The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. It is published weekly in The New York Times Book Review magazine, which is published in the Sunday edition of The New York Times and as a stand-alone publication...
. For a time, Young and Kopay lived together in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
A Killing Cure, about Evelyn Walker's malpractice suit against psychiatrist Zane Parzen, was published in 1982. In a 1998 profile, Young revealed that "[the] book made no money at all, and it was a disaster."
He was a columnist for The Chapel Hill Herald from 1996–2003.
Personal
Young has long acknowledged that he is gayHomosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
, writing candidly about it in Two of the Missing, and has written or co-written books with gay-related themes, including The David Kopay Story and Lesbians and Gays and Sports. He has lived in the basement of a non-profit counseling and support group in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States and the home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care...
, working around the building in lieu of rent, since 1993.
Books
(originally published in 1975) (with David KopayDavid Kopay
David Marquette Kopay is a former American football running back in the National Football League who in 1975 became one of the first professional athletes to come out as gay....
; originally published in 1977) (reissued 2005 by iUniverse
IUniverse
iUniverse, founded in October 1999, is a self-publishing company, co-located with AuthorHouse in Bloomington, Indiana. Publishers Weekly notes iUniverse has partnerships with The Writers' Club and the Writer's Digest .-History:iUniverse initially focused on business-to-consumer print-on-demand...
) (with Evelyn Walker)
Plays
- Frankie, Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre August 2001 (with William Gregg)
- Mountain of Hope, SART, July 7, 2004 (with William Gregg)
- Home Again, July 29, 2009 (with William Gregg)