Family Ties

Roscoe Young returns to deliver commencement address

If it hadn't been for a little family advice, Roscoe Young might never have become one of Winona State's most storied basketball players. Or the CEO of a major telecommunications company. He certainly wouldn't have been back at his alma mater 30 years after graduating to deliver its commencement address.

“You're not coming home,” laughs Young as he describes his mother's reaction to a phone call during his freshman year. “Here I was a top high school player, a real prima donna, and not starting or playing much. I had already packed my bags.”

Young's mother wouldn't give in, telling him to stay put. “She said, 'There's a plan for you. Maybe you can't see it right now, but let it roll out and things will work out in the end.'”

Young trusted his mother's advice, and things did work out. He trusted his coach and led the Warriors to an era of basketball dominance. He earned a graduate degree and has risen to the top echelons of the telecommunications industry. And along the way, Young has maintained a strong sense of family and the importance of nurturing deep and caring relationships.

Roscoe Young grew up in the suburbs around Chicago. His family was close, but he hadn't thought much about attending college until he met Les Wothke, a well-known high school basketball coach, while visiting a friend.

“I was tall and could jump,” says Young. “Problem was I never knew where I would come down.”

“Roscoe was about 6-5 and athletic, but he had no basketball skills. We spent that first year teaching him fundamentals. He played all summer and got better and better,” remembers Wothke.

Winona State was loaded with talent in the early 1970s. The Warriors recruited Young, but they were also courting Wothke after Ron Ecker left Winona for an assistant's job at Minnesota. The two arrived at Winona together. It was a bond that changed WSU basketball and continues to this day.

“I learned that although I might have been the best player, sometimes it's more important to be the glue that holds things together, not the highest scorer,” explains Young.

From 1970-75, Winona State won four straight conference titles and two NAIA district championships. Many of the members of those teams, including Young and Wothke, are members of the WSU and conference halls of fame.

And they still stay in touch. Young still keeps up with his team mates, and he and Wothke talk every couple of weeks.

Basketball wasn't Young's only circle during his years in Winona. He was also a self-described “nanny” for the Gannaway family on King Street. “There were five kids and I lived there and basically ran the household, babysitting, cooking, driving them around, whatever it took,” says Young.

“Those kids and I grew up at basketball practice and around campus. They were stars, part of the team. And all of them became good, successful people.”

When Young was recognized as a distinguished WSU alumnus in 2005, several of the Gannaway children joined him at the ceremony. Young also recognized family members, along with Wothke, attending his commencement address on May 5.

Young went on to be remarkably successful following graduation from WSU. While working as a counselor, a mentor advised him that “as an individual I could have an impact on ten people. As a supervisor, I could touch 100 people or more.”

So Young earned a master's in rehabilitation administration at Southern Illinois University. His plans were to work as a supervising counselor and educator, but Young was attracted to a management program at AT&T.

“It was an opportunity to make even bigger impact in the business world, by effectively managing people and resources that have tremendous influence.”

At AT&T Young worked in all areas of the telecommunications giant and rose through the ranks. During his time there, the Reagan administration selected him to work as a special assistant to the Secretary of Defense under the White House Executive Exchange program.

He held high level positions at MFS Communications and Ameritech, and is now chief executive and operating officer at KMC Telecom, a provider of telecommunications infrastructure and services. KMC generated more than $500 million in revenue last year, and has assets worth more than $2.1 billion.

KMC is on the cutting-edge of the fast moving telecommunications industry, but family values still guide Young's life. “It's important, even in a company the size of KMC, to share stories, take interest in the people you work with and treat each other the right way.”

“Roscoe is always doing for other people, not himself. He has unbelievable love and loyalty, and that has made him successful,” observes Wothke.

And Winona State remains part of the family history. “That educational foundation, the things I learned there, still counts. I learned to communicate, to work with diverse people, to pull them together, to prepare for setbacks,” says Young.

In addition to his distinguished alumni award and commencement address, Young has maintained close ties with WSU. He honored his coach with the Les Wothke Scholarship for African -American students. He is a trustee of the University, and even gave his daughter the middle name “Winona.”

In March, Young attended the Warriors national championship basketball game against Virginia Union in Springfield, Massachusetts. He's still part of the team.

Last Modified: Wednesday, June 21, 2006 9:36 by Brooke Sherer