Ted Terry Young

Ted Young, 89, a veteran of fifty years in advertising, was born along with his twin brother Fred on August 14, 1930 in Wichita, Kansas.   Ted worked in print and broadcast, both television and radio, and in collateral media such as direct-by-mail and billboards.  His ads were often seen in Life, Look, Time, McCall's and Sports Illustrated magazines and others, as were network and spot television commercials for accounts such as General Mills, Pillsbury, Burlington Northern, Hormel, Jeep, and others.  Ted began his professional career at age fourteen as an advertising and display artist at Buck's Inc., a small department store chain headquartered in Wichita.

          He was married to Dee Gist August 31, 1952.  They were childhood sweethearts and had lived in the Wayzata home they designed and built for fifty-two years at his death.

          He was one of three instigators and a partner and owner of Key Studio in Wichita from 1958 to 1965 with accounts such as Cessna, Boeing, Lear Jet, Coleman, General Electric and the Menninger Clinic.  He came to Minneapolis in 1965 as an art director and Vice President of Knox Reeves Advertising Agency, assigned to General Mill's Wheaties, Potato Buds, Whistles Bugles & Daisys, and Art Instruction, Inc., 3M, Grain Belt Beer and Alberto Culver accounts.  In 1971 he became Senior Art Director, Producer and Creative Associate for the Minneapolis office of Batten Barton Durstine & Osborn, the third largest advertising agency in the world at the time.  Ted was also employed at other Twin Cities agencies – and once at a staff position as advertising manager for Cherne Industries – and ended his long career as Vice President and Creative Director of Red Barron Advertising Agency.  He created advertising campaigns for television, print and radio but was perhaps best known among other professionals for creating General Mills' largest selling product, Hamburger Helper – the name, conceptual idea and positioning – and is recognized for this in the General Mills' archives.

          Among the many national and international competitions he won were a Cannes Film Festival Award, a Clio Award, An Olaf Award and awards for art direction in New York, Dallas, Chicago, Denver, Wichita, Kansas City, Minneapolis and others. 

            His background as a plein air painter included honors graduation with a BFA degree from Wichita State University, where he later taught.  He lectured at the University of Minnesota, Kansas University, Kansas State University, The Kansas City Art Institute, and The University of St. Thomas Graduate School of Business and Macalester College.  He once owned and operated a studio and gallery on Madeline Island in Lake Superior, "living over the store" in a very old assemblage of windy, jerry-built frame buildings and surviving the minus 50 degree winters with three space heaters. Mr. Young's paintings are held in private and corporate collections in San Francisco, New York, Minneapolis, Dallas and other Midwestern cities. Ted owned and operated the Old Blockhead private press for more than forty years.  

Ted was preceded in death by parents Eldon (Ted) and Elsie Young, and his twin brother Fred and Fred’s wife Debbie. Ted is survived by Dee, his wife of 67 years, son Jeff and his wife Lisa (Evidon), and daughters Carol, Diana and her husband Roland (Paiva), Julie and her husband Bob (Walser), grandchildren Coleman Paiva and his wife Emilie, Dillon Paiva, Cooper Paiva, Avery Young, Nathalie Young, Lauritz (Lolo) Young Walser, Eldon (Smack) Young Walser, and great-grandson Andre Grayson Paiva.

 “Please note: The Celebration of Life service previously scheduled for March 28, 2020 has been postponed indefinitely as precaution.”

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