David Hull Youngblood

D. Hull Youngblood, President of Southern Steel Company, San Antonio, who led national reform in the prison industry and expanded employment programs in the US and Texas died at his ranch in Bandera, TX on Monday, September 9, 2002. He was 76.

Youngblood served as President of Southern Steel Company, San Antonio, the world's largest maker of jail and prison equipment. Known for his attention to standards and the modernization of prison construction, Mr. Youngblood created the Detention and Correctional Facilities Division within the Association of Standards and Testing in Manufacturing ASTM. His effort increased quality and safety standards for US detention institutions. In recognition of his influence on the industry, ASTM awarded him the Lifetime Leadership Award.

Because of his strong conviction that education and training could lead to rehabilitation, Mr. Youngblood was an originator of early work-release and job training programs in Texas and the US. He was appointed to the National Alliance of Business by Presidents Lyndon Johnson, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan and later appointed to the Private Industry Council by Ronald Reagan. He received Presidential Citations for exemplary service in job creation from Presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. These pioneering efforts were instrumental in the creation of the Job Training Partnership Act of 1982. He was also appointed by Governor Dolph Briscoe, Co-Chairman of the Texas Commission on Jail Standards.

Mr. Youngblood was appointed by Governors Mark White and Bill Clements to the Texas State Job Training Coordinating Council. He expanded job creation in Texas through service on State Advisory Council of the Texas Employment Commission, as Chairman and Life Member of the Senior Council of Texas Manufacturers Association, as a Member of the Association of Business and Chambers of Commerce. He served as Director of the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, Director of the San Antonio Area Foundation, and a longtime member of the Downtown Rotary Club of San Antonio. Mr. Youngblood was a graduate of the University of Texas where he was president of Alpha Tau Omega ATO Fraternity, member of ATO Gold Circle, member of the Debate Team and a member of the Cowboys at the University of Texas. He was a charter member of the President's Corporate Committee at Baylor University. In retirement, Mr. Youngblood has been a certified Real Estate Agent and Broker and an active Member of the Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America.

A man of strong faith, Mr. Youngblood was an active leader in Christian lay-ministry. He was a Deacon and Chairman of the Board of Deacons at Trinity Baptist Church, San Antonio, and a Sunday School Teacher since 1941. Mr. Youngblood was a speaker for the Layman's Leadership Institute and at Laity Lodge of the Howard E. Butt Foundation. He is remembered for his mission work in Nigeria assisting medical missionaries in rebuilding a rural hospital.

Mr. Youngblood served as a First Lieutenant in WW II. He was a Logistics officer at the Nuremburg Trials and a radio broadcaster with the American Forces Network, Paris France. Mr. Youngblood is survived by his wife, Carolee Ewing Youngblood, two sons, Samuel Coke Youngblood and his wife, Gayle Youngblood, David Hull Youngblood, Jr., and his wife, Gwen Youngblood; three daughters, Carolee Youngblood and her husband, Darwin Sealey, Susan Youngblood Paynter and her husband, Roger Paynter, Genie Youngblood Norris and her husband, Randy Norris; and thirteen grandchildren. Honorary Pallbearers: John Graham, Hubert Green, Claiborne Gregory, Hal Haralson, Allen Patrick, Raymond Rapp, Johnny Sellberg and John Walters.

Flowers are welcome, but memorials can be sent to Mission Fund, Trinity Baptist Church, 319 Mulberry, San Antonio, Texas, 78212 or The Building Fund, First Presbyterian Church, 800 Jefferson Street, Kerrville, Texas, 78028.