Thomas Young (entrepreneur) explained

Thomas Young
Birth Date:26 May 1895
Birth Place:Sunderland, England, United Kingdom
Death Place:Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
Nationality:English
Occupation:Founder of the Young Electric Sign Company
Years Active:1920–1971
Spouse:Elmina Carlisle
Parents:George W. Young
Emily Tate Young

Thomas Young (May 26, 1895  - September 11, 1971) was a British entrepreneur from Sunderland, England, who founded the Young Electric Sign Company.[1]

Biography

He was born on May 26, 1895, in Sunderland, England.

Young's family converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in his infancy. At age 15, Young and his family sailed from Liverpool, England, to Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and continued on to Ogden, Utah, United States, by train.

Young founded the Thomas Young Sign Company on March 20, 1920, in Ogden, Utah. Soon thereafter, Young changed the company name to Young Electric Sign Company. In 1931 he realized that with the start of the construction of Boulder Dam there would be enough electricity for Las Vegas, where gambling was now legal.[2]

Young and his company specialized in neon signs built for businesses throughout the intermountain west and Las Vegas. He and his company created many of the famous signs in Las Vegas, Nevada, such as the Circus Circus clown sign and the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign (created by Western Neon later acquired by YESCO.[3] [4]

He died on September 11, 1971, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: A Legacy of Light: Take a Tour Back through History . 10 October 2015 . YESCO.
  2. News: Dave Bernslas . Thomas Young . . February 7, 1999 . 2015-10-13 .
  3. Web site: Lighting, Billboards & Sign Company in Las Vegas. YESCO. During the 'Golden Age of Neon' YESCO designers created a steady stream of displays at the Dunes, Sahara, Tropicana, El Morocco and Circus Circus. .
  4. Web site: County Commission to Honor `Welcome to Las Vegas' Sign Designer. Government of Clark County, Nevada. 4 May 2015. Young Electric Sign Company (YESCO), which bought Western Neon a few years after the sign was created, is now the sign's owner and operator. .