Youlon D. Savage (MSW ’64), ACSW, could have seen his life derailed by the discrimination he faced while growing up in the segregated South. Yet he became a respected Colorado leader in the national movement toward community mental health care, a “bold new approach” envisioned by President Kennedy. Savage had a long career as Executive Director of Adams Community Mental Health Center, the first facility in the region funded by the 1967 federal Community Mental Health Centers Act. As Deputy Director of Colorado’s Division of Mental Health from 1973 to 1978, he drafted a bill that expanded community mental health services throughout the state. In 2000, Savage endowed a GSSW scholarship fund that has since assisted 14 MSW students. Currently Chair of Colorado’s Human Services Board, Savage serves on GSSW’s Advisory Council on Racial Diversity and our Board of Visitors.
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