About

Born in approximately 1918, Casper Mills grew up in a Chicago orphanage with my father, the late Jack Young. They were best friends throughout their lives. In their 20s, they both moved from Chicago to California. Casper had no family and never married, so my father, mother, sister, and I were his "family." I can't recall one Sunday when Casper wasn't at our house watching sports, and sharing meals and conversations.

Growing up in an orphanage had a profound impact on Casper. He was a brilliant and enormously successful developer and builder, but remained very humble. He never "outgrew" his sensitivity to the hardships of children raised in an orphanage - not only emotional but financial and educational. His most ardent wish was to help orphans and kids from single-parent families obtain a good education – something he valued greatly but never had the opportunity to pursue. So Casper came up with the idea of the Casper Mills Scholarship Foundation - a non-profit which would provide scholarships for education. To help establish and run this labor of love, he asked his dear friends Stanley Sevilla, Bernard Axelrad, and George Pecora. These three gentlemen, along with my father, were appointed as its Trustees.

The Foundation was fully formed and began to distribute scholarships after Casper’s death. My father, unfortunately, was too ill to serve, but I had the honor of taking his place and have served continuously since as the only original Trustee. In the years since its inception, Bernard, Stanley, and George passed on and were replaced by Kevin Axelrad, Julie Kutasov (one of our first scholarship recipients), and Peter Mainstain. As the Foundation’s administrator, Lisa Axelrad also plays a key role in carrying forward Casper’s objective.

Since awarding its first scholarships in 1991, the Casper Mills Scholarship Foundation remains strong and has provided nearly $2,000,000 to deserving students. In this ongoing effort, we honor the memory of my dear family friend, Casper Mills, who had the vision and heart to want to help so many young women and men attain the type of education he never had. It is a privilege for me to serve as a Trustee for this worthwhile Foundation. And I know Casper would be so proud to see his vision fulfilled.

- Steven E. Young