Quentin Young Papers

The Biographical Materials section (1967-1998) consists of items pertaining directly to Young’s life. This includes handwritten notes, personal records, and materials relating to awards and other special events.

The Articles and Editorials sections consist of nineteen scholarly articles written or co-written by Young, as well as sixteen editorials written in national newspapers. The articles span the years 1965-2001, while the editorials range from 1954-1994. Two of the articles are in draft form, while the rest are published.

The Speeches section (1955-2002) consists of transcripts of speeches given by Young, including speeches on public health policy and school convocations.

The Press Appearances consist of magazine and publication excerpts in which Young made an appearance. These excerpts serve as a thorough biographical resource on Young’s personal and professional life, and span the dates 1967-2001

Young and his colleagues founded the Urban Preceptorship Program (UPP) at the Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in 1969. Its purpose was to acquaint medical students from around the country with the realities of urban health, and, in Young's words, to "stimulate career choices in favor of the poor, the black, and the aged." It lasted for eight years and educated over 400 students. This collection of UPP materials is dated from 1969 to 1978, and is split up into several categories.  The administrative category contains materials documenting the planning, analysis and evaluation of the program by its founders, while the courses category contains syllabi, bibliographies, and other materials from the courses taught at the UPP.  The correspondence category is comprised of letters from and to Young regarding the UPP, as well as a larger folder containing attachments to other letters.  The reports category contains reports made to various donors regarding the status of the program.  The subject files are comprised of general materials kept in folders by the UPP administration, providing information on various people, institutions, and events. Whenever possible, the integrity of the original filing was preserved.

In 1968 Young was invited to serve on the committee planning the following year's National Health Forum. The bulk of this collection is comprised of Young's correspondence as he served in this committee, though two general materials folders containing participant information, informational packets, and other materials are also present. The collection spans the years 1968-1969.

The Committee on the Public Sector, previously known as the Committee on Improving Health Services through Public Participation, was founded through the medical care section of the American Public Health Association in 1979.  Young served as its chairperson. The collection contains several folders of correspondence with members of the committee and a single folder containing a report describing its purpose. The collection spans the years 1979-1980.

Young was also one of the founding members of the Coalition for the Public Hospital in 1979, for which he performed administrative and fundraising tasks. This section contains four correspondence folders and one general materials folder containing administrative documents and member lists. All material is dated 1979-1980.

The Committee to Save Cook County Hospital was a group active in the 1970s and 1980s with which Young had close contact while he worked at Cook County Hospital. This section is arranged in seven folders, and contains posters, flyers, and other publicity-related material, as well as press releases issued by the organization. Two folders contain correspondence regarding the committee; however, while Dr. Young's name is occasionally mentioned, he did not write or directly receive any letters in these folders.  The last three folders contain all other documents, the vast majority of which are meeting minutes, notes, and reference materials.

Young also served as a co-founder and president of the Health and Medicine Policy Research Group. This section is organized in the following subdivisions: the subject files category contains whatever notes and materials the group collected regarding certain people, institutions, and events from the years 1981-1986, arranged alphabetically; the administrative category contains documents relevant to the running of the institution, including lists of members and contacts, financial reports, and statements of purpose, spanning the dates 1981-1991 and arranged alphabetically; the correspondence category consists of letters to and from Young relevant to the research group, arranged alphabetically and spanning the dates 1981-1986; the publications category contains publication materials from the HMPRG quarterly Health and Medicine, spanning the dates 1985-1987 and includes drafts, submissions, and corrections; the reports category is comprised of four group reports and policy statements released by the HMPRG between the dates 1984-1986, arranged alphabetically.

Young served as the national chairman of the Medical Committee for Human Rights (MCHR) during 1967-1968. The committee was founded in 1964 to support Freedom Summer in Mississippi, and was active during the Civil Rights movement in Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana until Young's tenure, at which point it became based in Chicago. These materials are arranged as following: the reports category contains five reports or statements of position issued by MCHR between 1970-1975, arranged alphabetically.  The correspondence category contains letters to and from Young relating to MCHR, arranged alphabetically and spanning the years 1967-1980.  The meetings category contains agendas, minutes, and similar documents relating to various meetings and conventions involving Young and the MCHR between the years 1965 and 1972, arranged alphabetically.  The administration category contains financial information, press releases, and similar information, arranged alphabetically and spanning the years 1965-1975.

In 1970 Young became the department chair of medicine at Cook County Hospital, and remained in this position until 1980. This section contains materials that document his time there, and is arranged as follows: the correspondence contains numerous letters to and from Young relating to his service at the hospital, 1972-1981.  Cook County Hospital was the scene of numerous strikes and much financial instability during Young's tenure, and was the subject of many reports. Eight individual investigations and reports from the years 1972-1980 are contained in this section, arranged alphabetically.  The biographical category consists of items relevant to Young's experiences at the hospital, including the lawsuit over the hospital's governing commission’s attempts to fire him and his ultimate resignation. The collection is arranged alphabetically and spans the years 1975-1980.  The subject files category contains numerous documents relating to projects and events relevant to Young during his tenure at Cook County Hospital. They are arranged in alphabetical order and span the years 1971-1981.

The Subject Files section consists of correspondence and papers relating to specific subjects throughout Young’s life, spanning the dates 1939 to 1988.

The Other Organizations section (1941-1999) consists of folders pertaining to organizations Young was affiliated with, but which did not necessitate a separate section. Each organization has its own folder.

The Correspondence file (1966-2002) consists of an expansive collection of original and copied personal correspondence between Young and many friends, family, and professional associates.

The Photographs consists of many personal photos of Young by himself, with his family, or acting in a professional capacity. Few of the photos are marked with a date or location, and they remain largely in their original order.

The Financial Materials consist of an expansive record of Young’s financial dealings, including IRS tax returns, canceled checks, and financial statements regarding Young’s medical practice. Of note are records and indications of Young’s campaign contributions and charitable donations, saved for tax purposes. The file spans the dates 1958-1978.

The Personal Media file includes 12 audiocassettes, 7 sleeves of slides, a record, and a videocassette. Many of the items are unidentified, though many of the audiocassettes appear to be talks and interviews either involving Quentin Young or relating to a health subject matter Quentin Young was interested in.

The Personal Items file includes items owned by Quentin Young, and include his personal business cards and staff ID cards for hospital access. Also included are buttons from various political campaigns and political causes supported by Young.

The FBI Files include two files from the FBI, one on the Medical Committee for Human Rights and one on Quentin Young himself. These large files include surveillance and write-ups on the MCHR and Quentin Young. The FBI has redacted many of the specifics within these files.

A collection of ephemera files compiled from various publications found in Young’s papers can be found at the end of the collection.  These materials are mostly pamphlets and other short publications that might be found in a hospital or doctor’s office, and were collected by Young throughout his career.  They have been arranged topically.  Topics covered include health care, race, hospitals, urban health, women’s issues, and others.  These materials range from the 1960s to the 1990s, but typically fall in the 1970s.

Description of the Addition:

Biographical Materials contains materials spanning 1941-2009, including datebooks, biographical articles and transcripts, publications, and items that represent Young’s medical career and social advocacy. The materials reflect Young’s education, his time at Cook County Hospital, and his tenure as a member of the American Public Health Association and the Medical Committee for Human Rights.

Buttons include political campaign buttons and buttons advocating for health care initiatives. Several buttons are from 1997-2000, though most are undated.

Clippings, sorted by subject, span 1945-2013. The collection contains magazine and newspaper materials pertaining to the work of Young and the organizations of which he was a member, consisting mostly of articles about health, healthcare, poverty, and politics.

Correspondence is separated into general correspondence, spanning 1912-2007, correspondence of the Medical Committee for Human Rights, spanning 1965-1970, and correspondence concerning the American Public Health Association that spans 1968-2001. The correspondence is further sorted by individual within each category.

Court Cases consists of several cases between 2000 and 2001, as well as several undated cases, in which Young testified.

Financial Documents includes financial materials for Young’s medical practice, the Medical Committee for Human Rights, and Health Rights News. The materials span 1954-1991 and include checks, ledgers, financial statements, and daily logs.

Travel Files span 1961-2005 and contain documents, clippings, and publications concerning Young’s travels to South African, Sudan, and Switzerland. The files also contain documents and tickets from Young’s domestic travel.

Subject Files are separated into the following categories: Medical Records, Cook County Hospital, Health, Healthcare, Public Health, Political Files, and General Files. The materials are further separated by subject within each category.

Media contains undated photo negatives and slideshow chartbooks from 1999.

American Public Health Association Binders contains disassembled binders from American Public Health Association annual meetings and executive board meetings between 1996 and 1999. Binders from the general meetings contain agendas and proposed policy statements, and materials from the executive board meetings include media policies, policy statements, and organizational policies.

Awards include small glass awards, certificates, and framed plaques awarded to Young between 1991 and 2013.

Oversized Materials include photos, large awards, binders, a large checkbook, flyers, and a cartoon caricature of Young. The materials span 1945-2014. Awards include certificates, wooden plaques, and large glass awards.

Photos include images from Young’s personal life as well as photos from events honoring Young. The photographs span 1945-2013, though many are undated.

Photo Slides are from four presentations: slides from a trip to China (1991), a presentation for the Physicians for a National Healthcare Program (undated), a CHHPS presentation (undated), and an undated, unlabeled presentation.