Lynne Unger Yackzan: Once a Devil, always a Devil
By Ji-yun Park,
HUB Correspondent-
Lynne Unger Yackzan, founder of the Blue and White Foundation which supports Davis High, has a special relationship with the school for 44 years.
Yackzan spent her childhood in Sacramento and came to DHS as a sophomore in 1970. She met her husband, Randy, at DHS although they did not start dating until after high school. They have four children that attended DHS as well. Her numerous nieces and nephews who are, or will be, DHS graduates too.
She gave her children and relatives this advice: “Take advantage of everything DHS offers. Don’t be afraid, join clubs, organizations get involved. Don’t be afraid to raise your hand.”
Yackzan followed her own advice during her high school years. She enjoyed participating in many clubs. She also remembers coordinating dances, participating in basketball team, and being on ski team. The classes she liked most were American government, World Civilizations, and Chemistry.
Her favorite part about DHS was the friendships and the range of choices especially for activities. She also mentioned that the school pride and spirit seems to be different then it was over 40 years ago. When she was a student, the majority of the student body would attend the football and basketball games. The school district offered “spirit buses” for a normal fee that would take students to away games.
Yackzan remembered going to the old stadium to watch games and support the teams. She mentioned that her father was unable to watch his grandson play football at the stadium because it was not handicap accessible and it was not big enough to hold the whole student body.
This conflict motivated Yackzan to start the Blue and White Foundation. The organization helped upgrade the facility for the DHS football stadium. Its mission was to encourage and sustain the interaction between DHS and its alumni and friends, and to encourage philanthropic support for DHS. Yackzan was the founder and president of the organization from 2001 to 2005. She has been chairman of the Blue and White Foundation’s Hall of Fame Committee from 2007 to now.
After graduating in 1972, Yackzan earned a B.S. in Occupational Therapy from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA and started working as a private practice pediatric occupational therapist. For the past 25 years, Yackzan and her husband Randy have been working together in their own business. The Yackzan Group is a property development and management business that employs 20 people.
She said that she enjoys her job but it was difficult to work and raise her children at the same time.
Looking back at her high school years, she has advice for students on campus.
“I want to let students know that there are many right ways to get there. They just need to keep moving. There may be failures but without failures you don’t really know what is possible,” Yackzan said.
