Happy Birthday Andrew Young
at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies

It was a celebration that meshed the serious and the sublime.

A foreign policy symposium featuring former U.S. President Bill Clinton, a gala fund-raiser that drew celebrities and government leaders from around the country and world, and, finally, the naming of Andrew Young International Boulevard in downtown Atlanta comprised a weekend of events recognizing the former U.S. ambassador's 69th birthday in March.

More than 1,500 friends paid tribute to the work of Young, a preacher, former Atlanta mayor and lifelong civil-rights advocate during a birthday party at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta. The event raised $1.2 million for the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies. The money will be used for scholarships.

Special guests included Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes, Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell, Georgia State University President Carl Patton and scores of national and international dignitaries.
"Ambassador Young decided this could be a fund-raiser for the school, and because of that, but really because of him, people contributed," said Andrew Young School Dean Roy Bahl. "The community turned out in force, and they sent him a signal on how much they value him."

FESTIVITIES HONOR CIVIL-RIGHTS ICON
A NIGHT TO REMEMBER Comedian and activist Dick Gregory, former Spelman College President Dr. Johnetta Cole and Dr. Walter Young, Ambassador Andrew Young's brother, sparkle at a dinner gala honoring Andrew Young's public-service career.	BEDAZZLED Dr. James Howard and former Andrew Young associate Dianne Wisner enjoy the culmination of more than a year of event planning. Wisner was the co-chair of the fund-raising gala that netted $1.2 million for the Andrew Young School.