M. Curtis Young, a loyal Episcopal Academy alum and avid Main Line golfer, has died at 87

Melville Curtis Young, 87, of Bryn Mawr, a retired wholesale drug distribution executive and devoted alumnus of Episcopal Academy, died Monday, Nov. 14, of complications from heart disease and diabetes at Beaumont in Bryn Mawr.

Laura Young Murphy said her father’s hallmark was loyalty, to Episcopal, the company he worked at for decades, his family, and the Main Line golf club he belonged to for more than 50 years.

“Episcopal was his life, and when my stepmother died 10 years ago he really leaned on Episcopal as a source of comfort. They were there for him, and he was there for them. It was a symbiotic relationship,” Murphy said.

After her father’s death, Murphy found something in his Episcopal yearbook — Class of 1954 — that showed how involved he was with the private school, now in Newtown Square.

“He had a list of all the kids in his graduating class at Episcopal, the day that they died, and the article in the newspaper about them. He kept track of them. He brought everyone together. He would call everyone up to get them involved in the reunions,” Murphy said.

After Episcopal, Mr. Young graduated from Trinity College, in Hartford, Conn., in 1958 with a business degree and started working the next year at a Philadelphia pharmaceutical distributor called the Drug House.

That company was acquired by Alco Standard Corp. in 1977. Alco Standard kept growing through acquisitions and is now known as AmerisourceBergen Corp., with headquarters in Conshohocken. It is among the top three pharmaceutical distributors in the United States.

“He’s a company man,” his daughter said. “He started with his first company and he stayed there his whole life, acquisition to acquisition. He helped with the treasury side of doing all that and expanding the wholesale pharmaceutical business.” He retired as an executive vice president in 1995, she said.

Outside of work and family, Mr. Young’s life revolved around golf. He had been a member of Merion Golf Club since 1967, Murphy said, and joined the Philadelphia Seniors Golf Association in 1992, serving as its president from 2005 to 2007.

“He was a great golfer,” with three career holes-in-one, Murphy said.

Mr. Young and his wife, Jane, enjoyed playing at pro-am golf tournaments, which allow amateurs to play alongside professionals and celebrities at world-class golf courses. One of their favorites was the California Classic in Palm Springs, Murphy said.

Mr. Young’s philanthropy centered on Episcopal, where he established the M. Curtis Young 1954 Faculty Fund to provide additional resources to attract, recruit, and train quality faculty.

He also established and maintained a scholarship fund at Malvern Prep to honor his older son, M. Curtis Young Jr., who died in a car accident when he was 30, Murphy said.

Mr. Young was also predeceased by his wife. In addition to his daughter, he is survived by a son, Jim; six grandchildren; and a sister, Barbara Young Camp.

A service for Mr. Young is to be at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 14, in the Class of ‘44 Chapel at Episcopal Academy, 1785 Bishop White Dr., Newtown Square.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to SpeakUp!, a nonprofit that runs programs to help teens talk with their parents and teachers about difficult topics, such as stress, drugs, alcohol, depression, anxiety, and suicide. The organization’s address is 80 W. Lancaster Ave, Suite 220, Devon, Pa. 19333.