Nothing good comes from the death of a young person. But Major Cornel Young Sr. and his wife Amy are committed to ensuring that something positive emerges from the tragedy of his son’s death in January 2000. Police Sgt. Cornel Young Jr. was off-duty and in street clothes when two fellow officers mistook him for a participant in a fight outside a Providence diner and shot and killed him. He had been a patrol officer for three years. Issues of a racially-divided police force have dominated the news, the debate, the neighborhood discussions ever since.

But the heart of the matter is that a young man of great compassion and great promise died at only age 29. Cornel Young Jr. was a sweet young boy with bottle-thick eyeglasses who turned into a good, handsome man. He played the guitar and the keyboard, loved to swim, go fishing, play sports, and spend time with his family and friends.

His goal to be a police officer was not necessarily one his father endorsed. Perhaps seeing his parents’ opposition, he became an aeronautical engineer and technician. He had a hard time finding the right job, though “because he never wanted to leave home,” his father points out. “He came from an honest, hardworking, closeknit family, with lots of good role models.” He tried some different mechanical jobs for the next few years.

Finally he came to his father one day, Major Young remembers, “and told me, ‘Dad, I want to come on the force’. After we spoke for a long time, I told him if this is what he really felt in his heart, then go for it.

“He would have been a great community-oriented cop,” his father says.
The outpouring of support from the community has been overwhelming. Gifts to the subsequent scholarship fund established at The Rhode Island Foundation came not only from Sergeant Young’s fellow officers and family friends, but from community leaders such as Atty. General Sheldon Whitehouse and Channel 12 newswoman Karen Adams.

Major Young has directed that the permanent endowment be used to encourage high school juniors to stay in school by providing college scholarships upon graduation. The criteria include that the student has overcome a challenge or obstacle, shows significant improvement in motivation and self-esteem; has received the positive recognition of his/her peers and faculty, and has demonstrated financial need. The Young family will stay closely involved with the selection process.

“My son would want to do something for young kids who have made  mistakes,” Major Young said. “You deserve a second chance.”