Community mourns loss of banker James Young
- 2/29/12
- Categorized in: Business, DeKalb News
Funeral services for James E. Young, president and CEO of Citizens Trust Bank since 1998, are being planned for Saturday, March 3. Young, a resident of Stone Mountain, died after a brief battle with cancer.
“Attributing much of his success to consistently striving for excellence, Mr. Young until his death remained a steward of dignity and humility. Under his guidance and direction Citizens Trust Bank continued to be safe, sound and well capitalized,” Citizen Trust Bank officials said in a statement. He is remembered as a leader who shepherded the bank through recent difficult economic times for the industry, during which the bank never failed to pay a dividend.
Young joined Citizens Trust Bank of Atlanta in 1998 as president and CEO as a result of the merger of the institution and DeKalb County’s First Southern Bank, where he had been president and CEO since 1993.
“The passing of Mr. Young has left us deeply saddened. He will be tremendously missed but not forgotten,” said Cynthia N. Day, newly appointed president and CEO of Citizens Trust Bank. “Mr. Young has left a lasting impact on us all with his wisdom, his character and his ability to inspire others. We will continue to honor him and the legacy he has left. Citizens Bancshares Corporation’s Board of Directors, management team and staff continue to embrace and pray for the family to show our support.”
A native of Cleveland, Tenn., Young served on the boards of The National Bankers Association, The Atlanta Action Forum, Central Atlanta Progress, The Commerce Club and Rock-Tenn Company. In addition he was a member of the Board of Councilors of The Carter Center, the DeKalb County Chapter of 100 Black Men of America and Antioch AME Church in Stone Mountain.
E. Lamont Houston, president and chairman of the board of 100 Black Men of DeKalb County issued this statement: “The 100 Black Men of DeKalb County is deeply saddened by the death of one of our long-time members, Mr. James (Jim) Young. Jim joined the 100 Black Men of DeKalb in 1993 and has supported the organization’s efforts to groom and develop the students enrolled in our Leadership Academy program, which supports the students of DeKalb County Schools. We are grateful for the many opportunities that Jim met and discussed the banking industry with our students. He was a catalyst for financial and banking literacy and worked diligently to lead and serve as a role model for the youth in our community to follow in his footsteps. Mr. Young’s leadership throughout DeKalb County will be sorely missed by the many lives he has touched.”
Young is survived by his wife Rebecca of more than 30 years, three sons and a daughter.
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