Sonia Young at 85
Sonia Young
Ferris Robinson
Sonia Young is celebrating a birthday this month. Her own Celebration of Life was planned for this spring, and like many folks, she planned it herself. Unlike most folks, she intended to be there front and center, and not in spirit only.
“Why wait til you die?” the Purple Lady quipped in her ever-youthful voice. Coming up on 86 this week, this gal’s energy belies her age. She has never let any moss grow, and isn’t about to start now.
But the main reason she wanted to celebrate her life is because, well, she truly wants to celebrate it. She wanted to squeeze the people’s hands who came to pay their respects, and be there to look them in the eye and thank them, truly thank them, for how important they are in her life. Sonia Young has attended almost every notable event in Chattanooga for years, and still isn’t about to miss this one.
This renowned philanthropist has made it her life mission to improve her community, and her community is vast. She is called to serve in the art community and the theatre community, and also champions the underdogs with no voice of their own; children and animals hold a spot in her purple heart.
Honored as a recipient of the Ruth Holmberg Arts Leadership Award and as a Tennessee Woman of Distinction, she has served on boards that range from the Tennessee River Gorge Trust, Kids on the Block and Children’s Hospital Foundation to Chattanooga Cares (Cempa Community Care) and McKamey Foundation, with many more in between.
The former UTC professor always dresses in her trademark purple, and attends as many galas, fundraisers and community events that she can schedule on her calendar. Not the least bit ready to settle back and put her feet up, Sonia feels very blessed that “people seem to care that I attend their events, and as long as they do, I will be there!”
When her beloved husband, Mel, died several years ago, Sonia was devastated. But she managed because she was so “blessed and held up by this community.” Women she barely knew showed up at her doorstep and invited her to dinner, and people she knew well supported her with a shoulder to lean on, as well as cry on, during this heartbreaking time.
Her daughter, Melanie Young Ransom, was at her mother’s side as they planned this event for the spring of 2020.
“Melanie was actually thrilled because I told her I would write all the thank-you notes myself and she wouldn’t have to,” Sonia quipped. This true celebration of life was to be held at the Chattanooga Zoo, with the new giraffe exhibit usurping most of the attention.
“I’m just so blessed. I have no complaint about anyone,” Sonia said, adding in her witty style that she could could certainly find something to complain about if she tried, buy why bother with that?
And that philosophy, more than any of her laurels, sums up our community’s Purple Lady.