I had been kicking an idea for a YouTube channel in my head for a while: spotlight interesting people in L.A. I would interview people I thought you should know more about. No celebrities. I wanted to show my L.A. The premise was simple: if we can learn more about our neighbors, we can learn more about our city.

Names quickly ran through my mind. I thought of people like Don Young, a Union Station volunteer who would make the information booth his home.

I introduced myself as Steve.

"Lopez?" he asked. No. Saldivar.

He agreed to let me shadow him as he performed his magic inside the information booth.

The desk seemed tailor made for him. Like a rock in the middle of a river stream, travelers would flow around the information booth, the lucky ones stopping with questions. The most often asked? Where’s Olvera Street and where are the bathrooms. Every one has Google Maps in their pocket, but in that moment, they depended on Don. He gave you directions, and if you were lucky, a story.

He was friendly. He was helpful. He had a calm, reassuring voice. He spoke loudly with his hands. His arms wailing at times like a music conductor.

Don loved to travel. He said he had seen all 50 states. In his younger years, he lived to see the world. Now, at Union Station, the world came to him.

I’m drawn to people who reinvent themselves. He was from Oklahoma but he was a true Angeleno. Los Angeles can be a lonely place but his friends were his family. He made a city a home. First with those he helped in an AA chapter he helped co-found. Then with those he warmly welcomed at St. John’s Cathedral.

The video series never materialized. The footage collected dust in a hard drive. Breaking news, COVID, and life has a way of stopping the music.

Don Young died at 80.

Millions of travelers will walk through Union Station in awe of its architecture. I’ll always think of Don.

Hearing of his death made me revisit the footage. Maybe I could piece something together in his honor. He’s not a celebrity. But he’s someone you should know about. He was part of my L.A.

Maybe there’s still hope for that YouTube series. We need to connect with people now more than ever.

Los Angeles needs more Don Youngs.