Young, Roderick Whiter
Roderick (Roddy) Young, of Blacksburg, Associate Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry and Nutrition at Virginia Tech, died in Blacksburg on January 10, 2008, at 85 years of age.
Roddy was born in Malone, N.Y., in 1922 to the late Harold N. and Mildred Whiter Young, and moved to Blacksburg in 1931 when his father, accepted a position as head of the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology at Virginia Tech Polytechnic Institute and State University and subsequently was director of the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station. He also outlived his first cousins, Keith H. Weiler and Thelma W. Rusk.
From the fourth grade, Roddy was educated in the public schools in Blacksburg. At Virginia Tech, he completed a B.S. degree in Horiculture in 1948 and an M.S. degree in Biochemistry and Nutrition in 1957 with a minor in Microbiology. Roddy was employed at the Radford Arsenal (formerly Hercules Powder Company) from 1945 to 1946 and worked as an instructor at Virginia Tech beginning in 1949.
He became charter member of the faculty in the Department of Biochemistry and Nutrition that was established in 1952. Roddy was promoted to Associate Professor at Virginia Tech and was Director of the Pesticide Residue Laboratory in the Department of Biochemistry from 1958 until his retirement in 1995.
In this environment, he provided education and work experience for many students. Roddy was active in national and regional agricultural professional organizations and served as the faculty advisor of the Phi Sigma honor society from 1950 to 1995. Roddy coauthored over 75 journal articles in the fields of nutrition and pesticide analysis.
During the 1970 to 90s, he focused on applying the problem-solving resources available at the university to the needs of agricultural commodity groups throughout the Commonwealth. In recognition of his efforts on behalf of the poultry industry, he was awarded the Virginia Poultry Federation Special Citation in 1981. Roddy is fondly remembered for his zest for life, enjoyment of arts and plants, and exuberant spirit for travel adventures in the United States.
He is survived by a first cousin-in-law, Richard W. Rusk; close friend of many years, Dick Cupp; and many distant cousins and many friends.
Special thanks to Dr. Karol Gordon, Dr. J. Michael Payne, Heritage Hall, Comfort Keeper of the New River Valley, and Carilion Hospice of the New River Valley.
Graveside services will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, January 18, 2008, in Roselawn Memorial Gardens, Christiansburg. Contributions can be made to the Mildred Young Scholarship Fund. The family will receive friends Thursday, January 17, 2008, from 4 to 6 p.m. at McCoy Funeral Home, 150 Country Club Drive, S.W., Blacksburg, Va.