Malcolm Black Young

Malcolm (Mal) Black Young, 83, passed away at his home on February 20, 2024. He is survived by his loving wife of more than 61 years, Cheryl Ann Young, and by four loving children and their families: Bethany Cook Young Holt (Peter Holt; grandchildren Alana and Bret) of Folsom, CA; Malcolm Scott Young (June Chun Young) of Cincinnati, OH; Marta Minton Young (Kevin O'Conner; grandchildren Ayla and Keegan) of Lincroft, NJ; and Charlotte Tycie Horsley (Adam Horsley; grandchild Clara-Ann) of Arlington, VA.

Born in 1940, Mal grew up in Scarsdale, New York and Oxford, Ohio. After graduating from Wabash College, he married his high school sweetheart, obtained a Master's Degree in International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh, and joined the headquarters staff of the Peace Corps in Washington, D.C. in its earliest days. With his wife and infant daughter, he then spent 2 1/2 years in Costa Rica as the Associate Peace Corps Director. Upon his return to Washington, D.C., he worked for the Community Action division of the Office of Economic Opportunity and then moved with his growing family to mid-coast Maine where he was the Executive Director of a non-profit anti-poverty program. That experience led him to return to graduate school where he received a Ph.D. at the University of Pittsburgh and conducted dissertation research in the Philippines. He and his family moved back to Washington, D.C. where he joined the consulting firm, Development Associates, Inc., and ultimately served as Senior Vice President and Director of the Evaluation and Research practice (35 yrs). Subsequently, he became the founding Director of the Monitoring and Evaluation Services practice of Development and Training Services, Inc. (dTS). Over the years, his work included technical and managerial direction of multi-year contracts with U.S. federal and state government agencies, including national evaluations of the Indian Education Act, several major bi-lingual and English as a Second Language programs, and extensive work in Central America and Egypt, as well as Asia and Africa.

His professional life was consistent with and a way to support his more important priorities – serving God, his family, less advantaged members of society, and his church. Wherever they lived, he and his wife were active in their community and church. He served as a ruling elder in Presbyterian churches, in leadership roles in the Anglican Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic, and at the time of his death was a member of Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church. Committed to adult literacy, he was a board member for the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia for more than 15 years, and he tutored English as a Second Language and trained future tutors. In 1998, he and his wife felt called to become involved with people with intellectual disabilities. Quickly, they became involved with L’Arche of Greater Washington, D.C., where he served as a member of the board of directors for 20 years, including four years as its president, and nationally was on the board of L'Arche USA from 2007 to 2016. Mal’s kindness, humility, and sense of humor drew out the best in people and encouraged it in us all. He will be dearly missed by family and friends.

A Funeral Mass will be held on Saturday, April 6, 2024, at 12 noon at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church, followed by a graveside service and reception at Columbia Gardens Cemetery in Arlington, VA. Memorial contributions may be made to Our Lady Queen of Peace Church of Arlington, VA, and L’Arche of Greater Washington, D.C.