‘He has a strong desire to serve the public in any capacity he can find’

Elmo Ray Younger, a World War II Army veteran, has dedicated his life to public service and his community. At nearly 100 years old, he has enriched the lives of the community and those around him with his kind spirit and determination.

Born Feb. 18, 1922, in Grambling, Louisiana, Younger headed to Morris after he was offered a job as a cook at Weits Cafe.

Being one of 12 children in a farming family, he was overjoyed to head north for work.

At only 19, Younger boarded the bus to Morris, excited to begin his new journey. But it was when he crossed the Mason–Dixon line and the bus driver pulled over and told him he could go ahead and move up front, he knew there was a possibility of something better.

“My family was over the moon that I had got a job up North,” Younger said.

Soon after coming to Morris, he applied for a job at the Joliet Arsenal, where he worked until he was drafted in December 1942.

‘Dependable, Reliable, Trustworthy’

Once drafted, Younger left Morris and headed to Texas for basic training.

After spending time in Texas, he was sent to Reno, Nevada, then California, where he learned chemical warfare and joined the Chemical Corps Operation Company Unit of the Army.

“The Chemical Corps is the branch of the United States Army tasked with defending against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons. The corps was founded as the U.S. Chemical Warfare Service during World War I. Its name was changed to the Chemical Corps in 1946,” according to its website.

He served in an all-Black unit, composed of 75 men and officers from all over the country. The unit left New York for Glasgow, Scotland, to serve the country in World War II.

Younger rose through the ranks in the military, eventually becoming technical sergeant.

According to an interview with the Morris American Legion Post 294 Legacy Center, the unit was informed of plans for D-Day, when it was transferred to Northern Ireland, supplying bombs to an airbase. After D-Day, the unit was sent to France, until the war was over.

“The military taught me to be dependable, reliable and trustworthy, to put in my best effort in every job going forward,” Younger said.

‘Family is everything’

Younger returned to Morris at the end of the war to marry the woman he left behind, Frances Kennedy.

Frances was not a huge fan of the name Elmo, so she named him Ray, thus making naming him Elmo Ray Younger.

Frances was the daughter of Allen and Nellie Kennedy. Allen Kennedy was the owner of a tire shop in town and he invited Younger over for dinner, where he met his future wife, Frances.

The two wed on Jan. 9, 1946.

The couple eventually had three children: Cheryl, Ray and Densie. They showered their children with love and often took them on educational vacations.

“The cool thing about the trips was if Mom or any of us kids saw anything, an attraction or something, while we were cruising down the highway, if we mentioned it, Pops would pull over and let us see what it was,” said Elmo’s son, Ray Younger.

“When we were going out West, we saw a sign for the Crater in Arizona and we pulled over to look at this huge whole in the ground. We saw the Petrified Forest, the Grand Canyon, we saw the beaches when we got to California. He made sure we had really good memories and experiences growing up,” Ray Younger said.

Elmo and Frances had numerous grandchildren.

“He really instilled in me to be a stand-up person, ensuring that I was a man of my word, and family is everything. He most definitely made me appreciate the things that you have and not take anything for granted,” said Omar Walker, Elmo’s grandson.

Living for the community

When Younger returned home from the war he applied to work at the Illinois Department of Corrections, where he eventually became a juvenile correctional counselor, where he worked for 29 years.

Working for the community was not enough for Younger; he wanted to serve the community.

“He has a strong desire to serve the public in any capacity he can find,” Walker said. “From working in the correctional facility making sure he was helping the kids, to alderman, even something as small as helping someone get their liquor license, he made sure to give back as much as he could.”

Elmo Ray Walker ran for alderman for the city of Morris and won, making him the first African American elected to public office in Grundy County. He served three terms.

Younger didn’t stop there, serving as a union representative for the Central States Joint Board for 12 years, Republican precinct committeeman for 30 years, board member for the Grundy Health Association for six years, the executive board for Boy Scouts for 36 years, commander of local chapter of Disabled American Veterans for 12 years, Department of Illinois DAV state chaplin for four years and state commander for two years.

Morris Mayor Chris Brown spoke on his service in the community, saying, “He has had a huge impact in our local community. He has served on the County Board, and he was an alderman. Just all the things he did on the side for people in general. He has been a great community leader for so long.”

To those who serve at home

On June 5, 1942, there was an explosion on the Joliet Arsenal assembly line that left 48 workers dead or missing. Younger was not present at the time of the explosion. With the Battle of Midway and the attack on Pearl Harbor fresh in the minds of the public, the explosion was just another footnote in the newspapers.

Younger, having previously worked there, knew many of the workers. He made it his mission to ensure those men were not forgotten.

“Those people that were killed are heroes too,” Younger said. “That explosion killed employees that were crucial in the war effort. They should be recognized for their service. That’s why I secured the program of the statue for those who served at home.”

He was appointed to the Joliet Army Ammunition Plant Restoration Advisory Board after his retirement in 1987. The board raised $30,000 from the state and other contributors for the memorial.

In 2001, the memorial was built at the entrance to the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery to honor the workers who were killed or injured during the blast in 1942, along with six men who died in the 1945 explosion.

The cemetery is on part of the old arsenal plant site off Route 53 south of Joliet.

In July 2005, the statue was cut from the base and stolen. Younger raised money for a new statue. He said he was shocked when he received a call saying the stolen statue was found on a farm outside of Braceville, according to newspaper reports at the time.

On April 18, 2002, Younger was recognized by the Illinois House of Representatives in a resolution stating, “the members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to recognize notable accomplishments in the lives of citizens of the State of Illinois.”

“The life history of Elmo Ray Younger is one of quiet public commitment and dedication to serving his country and community well,” the resolution says.

Morris will recognize Younger during a City Council Meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 22.

If you would like to celebrate Elmo’s birthday with him, a reception is scheduled for 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday Feb.19, at the Morris VFW, 309 McKinley St.

If you are unable to attend or would like to offer congratulations, send a birthday card to Elmo Younger at DAV CH 86, PO Box 662, Morris, IL 60450.