John Young Biography
When theaters in Waco, Texas, wouldn’t show “Fahrenheit 911” in 2004, columnist John
Young wrote a letter in a column to Michael Moore asking him to send a copy of the film,
suggesting that he knew of a barn in Crawford onto which the movie might be projected.
Moore read the column and responded, “You supply the barn. I’ll supply the movie.”
A few weeks later some 3,000 people on lawn chairs watched “Fahrenheit” in the
parking lot of the Crawford High School football field. Counterprotesters hooted, brayed
and waved signs on the perimeter.
Just another day in Bush-by-God country.
That was then. John Young has moved from Central Texas to his home state of
Colorado, to teach and to continue "writing stuff that matters"
Now he teaches as an adjunct at Front Range Community College in Fort Collins while
continuing to write for a national audience.
For 25 years John was editorial page editor of the Waco Tribune-Herald, his columns for
Cox Newspapers read widely via the New York Times News Service. He was syndicated
by Creators Syndicate out of Los Angeles from 1992 to 1993. The Tribune-Herald
published his book, One Oar in the Brazos in 1992. In 2007 in advance of the 2008
election, he wrote Ghosts of Liberals Past (Authorhouse).
Young has won several national awards including two first-place honors from the
National Society of Newspaper Columnists, first place in commentary from the Education
Writers Association and multiple Best of Cox honors in in column writing and editorial
writing. He is a two-time winner of the national Maggie Award from Planned Parenthood
of America for commentaries about family planning, reproductive rights and gay rights.
He also was a third-place winner in the National Headliners Awards for editorial writing.
He is a 1975 graduate of Colorado State University.
He and wife Becky have two sons, Michael and Robert.