Betty Lou Young

Who was Betty Lou Young?

Betty Lou Young was a United States writer and conservationist. Young was born in Minneapolis to Chester Haller, the owner of a lumber warehouse, and his wife Amy, who was a teacher. While Betty was still a baby, her parents separated, and her mother relocated in Long Beach. Betty received her undergraduate education at UCLA, and her masters at Smith College in 1942, at which point she met and married the doctor Thomas Young.

Betty Lou Young became deeply involved in her local community of Rustic Canyon, Los Angeles, writing several books about the Pacific Palisades area. In the 1960s she campaigned to preserve the Santa Monica Mountains against plans for commercial and residential development. Thomas died in 1994, and Betty Lou in 2010. They had one son, Thomas R. Young – who collaborated with Betty Lou on some of her books – and two daughters.