Young, Willis E. (1913-1982)

https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/gen_oh/45 [13669]

Biographical Information: Willis Young was born in Princeton, Minnesota on February 5, 1913. His early life was split between Princeton and the nearby community of Brickton. In Brickton, he attended school and his father worked as a foreman at a brickyard. Shortly after high school, Young joined the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1933. For two years, he helped expand and preserve forests in northern Minnesota. After the CCC, Young worked in a variety of jobs during the rest of the Great Depression. In 1940, Young joined the U.S. Army and served during World War II. As a logistician, he saw action in North Africa, Italy, Corsica, and France. After the war, Young returned to Princeton and worked as a mailman until his retirement in 1975. He met his wife Inez Blasberg in 1946 and they had a son together.

Transcript Summary: In an interview conducted on April 12, 1978, Willis Young discussed his family history and life in Brickton and Princeton, Minnesota. Young said his family settled in Princeton after the conclusion of the Civil War in 1865 - his grandfather served as a Union soldier. His father later relocated their family to the neighboring community of Brickton, where he worked as a brickyard foreman. Young mentioned his family was fortunate to make a stable living during the Great Depression but said many people in Brickton were living in poverty. Young discussed his time in the Civilian Conservation Corps in the early 1930s, as well as his service in North Africa and Europe during World War II. Additionally, Young discussed his post-war career as a mail carrier in Princeton, meeting his wife Inez in 1946 and his participation with the Minnesota Historical Society after retirement in 1975.

Interview conducted by Cal Gower and John LaDoux