Commodore named for annual flotilla

And the commodore for the 2013 Wawasee Flotilla is... Kay Young!

"What can I say ... I was very honored to be chosen by the committee to be this year's commodore and when I look back at past recipients feel very humble," stated Young. For her this honor is especially meaningful knowing both Bill Beemer and Ted Rogers were on that committee. "They were both outstanding examples of community leaders and I only hope that I can live up to their expectations."Beemer and Rogers, both are also past commodores and both passed away earlier in the year.Young will be participating in the Memorial Day parade and other events promoting this year's Wawasee Flotilla, with this year's theme of "Wide World Of Sports." She will also be leading the annual flotilla around Lake Wawasee and choosing the coveted Commodore Trophy winner. This year's flotilla will be at 1:30 p.m. July 6, with the event starting and ending at Wawasee Spink.Young is not a stranger to Lake Wawasee and all the happenings in the area. She grew up on the lake during the summers when her parents, William A. "Bill" and Joanne Spurgeon, purchased a cottage on Wawasee. Her father had grown up at the lake as a child, as well. She became a full-time resident of the area in 1963 and moved to Wawasee in the early 1980s.She is in her 10th year as president of the Wawasee Property Owners Association, and spent one year on the WPOA board. She started the Chief's Award, presented each year to someone in the community who has given of themselves for the betterment of the lake.Young is a 2010 recipient of the Wawasee Area Conservancy Foundation Cattail Award for outstanding environmental service and a member of the Syracuse-Wawasee Trails Committee.She received her real estate license in 1988 and joined Todd Realty as a sales associate. She was promoted to residential sales manager in mid-1988 and received a broker's license in 1989. Young has worked continually at Todd Realty since. "I have been the top salesperson 16 times in the last 25 years, always being a multi-million dollar producer," stated Young.She is also a past director and president of the Kosciusko Board of Realtors as well as the Kosciusko Board of Realtors/MLS. She is an active driver for the Kosciusko County REAL Meals program and past director of Kosciusko County Habitat for Humanity.Prior to entering the field of real estate she worked at Lake City Bank, Syracuse, and a daily newspaper.Kay and her husband, Jim, have five children, 10 grandchildren and three-great-grandchildren.