Southeastern Community College Alumni Association | Distinguished Alumnus Award 2019
Gayla Riddle Young was a 1972 graduate of Fort Madison High School in Fort Madison, Iowa. After starting her family, she enrolled in Southeastern Community College and earned an Associate of Arts Degree in 1990. She went on to graduate Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education at Western Illinois University. After graduation, Gayla began her career in Education as a 3rd grade teacher at Danville Elementary School in Danville, Iowa.
Gayla was very involved in Fort Madison and in her hometown of Denmark, Iowa. As the owner of a home that had been on the Underground Railroad, she became an active member of the Denmark Historical Society and also helped coordinate the annual Denmark Heritage Days. Gayla was a member of the Denmark Betterment Group and held an office with the Denmark Fire Department. She also received great satisfaction from serving on the Fort Madison Community School District Board, her alma mater.
Following a brief illness, Gayla died December 31, 2018. Although unable to receive her award plaque at the May 2019 West Burlington campus graduation, her sister, Glee Riddle Salladay, came from Virginia to speak in her place.
Gayla Young loved teaching and wanted to be the voice and the support for all children. Through her life’s work, she will continue to make a difference in the lives of all the people she served.
