Ms. Donna Bevacqua-Young

John R. Young graduated from Northern Illinois University in August of 1990 with a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Geology. John had wonderful memories of his time at NIU and wanted to help like-minded students with similar interests. After his time at NIU, John moved to New Mexico where he worked as an environmental scientist with the Hazardous and Radioactive Materials Bureau, a division of the State Environmental Department. He also worked part-time as a geology professor at a local community college near his home in Santa Fe. John was very passionate about the field of geology and loved to talk about rocks. He was excited if he could reach just one student who would make geology a career. In his spare time, he enjoyed traveling to various geological landmarks with his wife, Donna. On their trips together, John enjoyed studying rocks, even during their honeymoon to Italy. It was there that he was able to experience Mt. Vesuvius and Mt. Etna. The two of them also visited many national parks including the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon National Park, Zion National Park, Yellowstone National Park, and Volcanoes National Park on the big island of Hawaii. One of John’s greatest thrills was a helicopter ride over a volcano near Hilo, Hawaii in October of 2007. John was diagnosed with a brain tumor in July of 2005 and fought a courageous battle with cancer until he passed away in March of 2009. One of John’s wishes to Donna, was to have a scholarship in his name at NIU to help students interested in geology to achieve their goals and dreams. It is their hope that through this scholarship, John’s passions for knowledge and geology will continue for years to come.