MTSU alumnus Doug Young, a Murfreesboro native, vice mayor, councilman, businessman and family man, lost his long battle with cancer Sunday, Dec. 18. He was 68.

Mayor Shane McFarland ordered flags on city buildings be lowered to half-staff this week in honor of Young, according to a news release from the city of Murfreesboro.

Doug Young

“Murfreesboro has lost one of its greatest champions,” said McFarland. “We will miss his leadership and dedication to our City Council. Doug Young was one of the most selfless people I have ever met and that showed in the way he helped our City for many years. Murfreesboro is a better place because of him and I am better for having known him. He will truly be missed.”

MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee extended the University’s condolences in the passing of Young, who served his alma mater in the MTSU Alumni Association, the MTSU Foundation and as chairman of the MTSU College of Liberal Arts Advisory Board.

“Doug Young was a friend, a tireless advocate for our University and a force for good in our community,” McPhee said. “Our hearts at MTSU are heavy with this news.”

Young was elected to the Murfreesboro City Council in 2002 and as vice mayor in 2014. He was a leading advocate for the funding, planning and development of the Public Safety Training Center, honored in his name during a groundbreaking Nov. 8 at the former Franklin Heights Housing Complex.

The Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce recently named Young as the inaugural recipient of a lifetime achievement award named in his honor. Young, the owner of City Tile and Floor Covering Company since 1973, was a fixture in the community and instrumental in shaping Murfreesboro through his leadership and service.

Visitation with the family will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 21, at Woodfin Memorial Chapel. A celebration of life will be held Thursday, Dec. 22, at 11 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church.

Read the city of Murfreesboro’s full story at http://www.murfreesborotn.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1622.

In this spring file photo, pictured from left are Murfreesboro City Councilman and MTSU alumnus Doug Young; Danielle Mayeaux, MTSU assistant athletic director; Murfreesboro Fire and Rescue Department Chief Mark Foulks; and Andrew Oppmann, vice president of marketing and communications at MTSU stand in front of the new MTSU-themed fire truck unveiled on campus that will serve the university campus from Station No. 3. (MTSU file photo)