Labor Hall of Fame Honoree (2003)

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Steve Young 1953-2003 "We choose a career on the front line — squaring off against those who would do battle with society. We willingly place ourselves in harm's way — because that's the American way." — Steve Young

With roots as a police officer in Marion, Ohio, Steve Young became a tireless and influential advocate for law enforcement professionals and a trusted advisor to the federal government. In a tragically shortened but meteoric union career, Young was elected president of the Ohio Fraternal Order of Police in 1988, national vice president of the FOP in 1997, and national president in 2001. Along the way he helped develop innovative and widely adopted programs to aid psychologically traumatized officers and improve police labor-management relations. Beginning in 2001 he worked with the Department of Justice on ways to resolve police-related civil rights issues and served on the post-9/11 Homeland Security Advisory Council. He also helped develop the Department of Labor's "Resources and Investments in Spousal Employment" scholarships to aid families of fallen law enforcement officers. In 2003 the scholarships were renamed in his memory.