A celebration of life service was held Saturday for Dr. Alice Holloway Young, the first African-American vice principal and principal in the Rochester City School District and a pivotal figure in the founding of Monroe Community College. The service took place at the MCC campus in Brighton.

Dr. Holloway Young passed away at the age of 100 on April 30. Her career spanned over four decades, and her dedication to education and commitment to her students earned her the respect and admiration of the entire community.

At the service Saturday, Allen William of the Monroe Community College Board of Trustees said, “She had an extraordinary life, and she leaves with us an enduring legacy which we will always remember. We will always remember what we say here about her because of the work she did when she was here.”

Born in North Carolina, Dr. Holloway Young earned her master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Rochester and began working in the Rochester district in 1952. She was one of the first African-American educators in the city. In 1961, she helped establish Monroe Community College and was named a trustee.

She was also selected by RCSD to serve as the director for Title One, the program created by the US Department of Education tasked with distributing funding to school districts with a high percentage of students from low-income families.

When she retired from RCSD in 1985, she continued to attend MCC board meetings as Chair, Emerita. She was the longest-serving trustee in the State University of New York.

“We don’t get into this business to become rich — but there’s something that you leave that’s much greater,” Rochester Mayor Malik Evans said at the service. “It’s called a legacy.”

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