Many prominent figures have shaped Zachary into the city it is today. Whether it’s a Zachary alum owning a small local business or a professional athlete representing the Z, none have compared to the work of the late Dr. Gaynell Young, who died on March 2nd, 2025.
Dr. Young changed the City of Zachary in ways most people haven’t realized. She served as the president of the Zachary Community School Board for decades and orchestrated the founding of Zachary Community Schools from the EBR School district in 2001. She was instrumental in implementing many schools to be added throughout the school district and helped the school district grow to more than 5,000 students – way more than the number she started with when she took the role of board president in 2001.
During her time in Zachary, Louisiana, Dr. Young met and changed countless people’s lives. She gave them a friendly face to see in the afternoon and was a comforting presence in the district, offering kindness and reassurance to the people around her. Bianca Coats, the supervisor of child nutrition for the district and a close co-worker and friend of Young, said that Young made everyone around her feel comfortable.
“She has treated me like family since the day I stepped foot into Zachary,” said Coats.
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Her co-workers also noted her devotion to the district. Superintendent Ben Necaise described her work as crucial to the foundation of the district, adding that she never stopped trying to improve standards for students in the district.
“She’s been here since the founding, so she helped build and shape the district,” Necaise said, “Having somebody with that kind of experience as a new superintendent really helped me because she was able to kind of say, ‘Hey, let’s consider this,’ [and was] somebody to bounce ideas off of.”
Necaise went on to discuss the passion that radiated through Dr. Young’s work. She was always involved with things going on in the district and even programs outside of the city. Her determination and progress will have a lasting impact on the superintendent.
“She was always passionate about career and tech education, [like] the programs we’re doing out at Port Hudson, [and she advocated for] the idea that students should have a whole variety of things to do,” Necaise said.
The programs in Port Hudson are among the many things Dr. Young did for our school district. She won numerous elections to continue as board president and was the leading force in implementing policies and procedures to improve the school district and give back. One of her projects included overseeing the Black History Month program just a couple of weeks ago at Rollins Place Elementary, a school she oversaw the construction of during her time here. One of the last things she did as a board member was establish a service project for the school board, enabling the board to continue to give back to the community.
Another program she helped work with is the Child Nutrition Program or CNP. Dr. Young oversaw the CNP’s operations and provided full support for its initiatives for the school district.
“She has been one of CNP’s biggest fans and has supported every initiative that we begin in the district,” Coats said, “She has embraced the partnership that we have with our local farmers, and she has been instrumental in advocating that the child nutrition program received the resources needed to provide nutritious meals to the students.”
Dr. Young worked with the CNP to provide the district’s children with quality food, and she supported every initiative that Coats lead. Coats continued to describe Dr. Young and her vision for the school, saying that she wanted Zachary to be a place of growth and opportunity. With unwavering support for programs that improved the district, Young was certainly dedicated to creating an environment for students to grow.
Dr. Young would also serve in other positions around Zachary. She worked at AT&T for 30 years while serving on the Lane Regional Medical Center Board of Commissioners. While there, she was proud to announce the new hospital being built for Lane, just a walk away from the old hospital. The Southern University graduate earned her degree in speech communications and traveled to Bowling Green University in Ohio to complete her master’s before being accepted into the PhD program in 2021. Two years later, she was proud to report she earned her doctorate, all before being a contestant on Wheel of Fortune in 2024.
Young and her legacy in this community will live on through her three children, 10 grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren, in addition to her two Godchildren and many nieces, nephews, and siblings who honor her work to this day. However, it’s going to be hard to continue a legacy of such an important person to this community.
Necaise describes her absence as a hole that needs to be filled and says that she impacted so many people’s lives as well.
“We all carry a piece of that legacy with us,” Necaise said, “We all carry a part of her spirit and a part of her drive to really support the kids in the community with us.”
Coats echoed Necaise, saying that the immense legacy of Young will live on forever and inspire the district to continue to find ways to improve the district.
“The community and school district will undoubtedly feel the absence of Dr. Gaynell Young, given her significant contributions and leadership,” Coats said, “However, her legacy and the foundations she has built will continue to guide and inspire the community. Although school board meetings will now feel like there is a void, her legacy will live on through the continued efforts of those she has inspired.”
