John C. Youngman

March 24, 1934 - January 20, 2000

A lifelong resident of Lycoming County, lawyer John Youngman recognized the damage flooding had on the region. The flooding on Antes Creek in 1889 led to the loss of nine of his relatives. Therefore, beginning in the 1930s and continuing until the project was completed in 1952, he led the fight to construct dikes on the Susquehanna River near Williamsport. These dikes protected the city from the ravages of Hurricane Agnes in 1972 and Hurricane Hazel in 1974, among several other major flood events.

But his actions to protect lives and water quality did not stop there. John was an environmentalist who fought to clean up pollution in the Susquehanna River and to build a sewage treatment system for Williamsport in the 1940s. Soon after, he was appointed as chairman to the Williamsport Sanitary Authority.

John was also a founding member and president of the Pennsylvania Sportsman Association, now known as the PA Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs. He loved fly fishing, particularly on Antes Creek, where he instituted the cleanup of the highway along the creek 30 years before PennDOT took up that practice. In a memorial resolution to the Court of Common Pleas of Lycoming County on January 27, 2000, just days after his passing, John was recognized for his long-lasting contributions to the community and environment.