Evans Young, Ann Arbor, MI, 1948-2020, passed away from lymphoma and complications related to it. A native New Yorker, Evans grew up in Brooklyn and Queens and graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School. He was an English major at Cornell University, received his M.A. in Chinese studies from the University of Washington, and his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Michigan. Throughout his life, Evans worked to understand the world and to address the inequality and injustice that stymie our efforts to fully appreciate one another and thwart our attempts to create truly inclusive communities. Evans found many ways to work toward a better world including building cross-national connections among people and community organizations throughout southeast Asia under the auspices of the American Friends Service Committee, working with students and faculty at the University of Michigan Center for Afro-American and African Studies, and helping to strengthen and deepen undergraduate education in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts at Michigan.
"Evans served as CAAS's Assistant Director from the late-1980s through the 1990s. In that role, he was a tireless advocate for the center, its students and faculty. After leaving CAAS, he moved on to serve as Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Education where he continued unabated his advocacy for students and for multicultural education. Most recently, Evans had agreed to serve on the alumni advisory committee for the DAAS 50th anniversary celebration. His ongoing support for DAAS and our mission was something we deeply grateful for. I first met Evans when I arrived at Michigan in 1995 as a research fellow. I learned so much from him about CAAS and about the university. And over the years I could always count on Evans for sage advice and an encouraging word. That's the way Evans was, there for everybody, students, staff and faculty alike. I will miss him dearly. At the request of Evans's wife, Catherine Shaw, and their children Joslyn and Rob, DAAS has established the Evans Young Student Support Fund to support student projects and activities. We are obviously deeply grateful to Evans' family for remembering his commitment to DAAS in this way." - Matthew Countryman, DAAS Chair
