Solo Survivors

Lore & Background

Pegi Young's path was shaped by her son Ben's needs. Born with cerebral palsy, Ben had severe speech difficulties and motor impairment. Searching for educational institutions tailored for children like Ben, Pegi and Neil Young were frustrated to find none existed. In 1986, Pegi co-founded the Bridge School with help from Jim Forderer and Dr. Marilyn Buzolich. The school served children with severe physical and speech impairments. To raise awareness, the Youngs created the Bridge School Benefit Concert, which ran annually from 1986 until 2016, featuring musicians such as Eddie Van Halen, Sammy Hagar, Mazzy Star, Arcade Fire, Mumford & Sons, Tony Bennett, Bruce Springsteen, Lucinda Williams, Jack White and Metallica. Pegi served as executive director for seven years and as president of the board of directors from its inception in 1986 until her death.

Reader's Guide

Pegi Young's philanthropy extended beyond the Bridge School. She served on the board of A.R.T. (Artistic Realization Technologies), an organization dedicated to bringing creative expression through art to individuals with severe disabilities. She was on the Advisory Board of the "virtual" AAC-RERC and on the Advisory Council for Lemelson Assistive Technology and Design Center at Hampshire College. She served for four years on the board of the Alliance for Technology Access, a grassroots organization of 43 community based centers serving individuals with disabilities.

In environmentalism, she performed at and hosted Farm Aid with Neil in 2007 and 2012, and in 2013 began serving on the board of directors of Rainforest Connection, an organization aimed at preventing deforestation using real-time data collection. She was inducted into the San Mateo County Women's Hall of Fame in 1995, and co-honored with Neil Young for their work with the Bridge School by Rock the Vote in 1999.

Did You Know?

• Pegi Young met Neil Young in 1974 while working as a waitress at a diner near his ranch, a story he tells in the 1992 song 'Unknown Legend'.
• Both of Neil Young's sons, Ben and Zeke, were diagnosed with cerebral palsy, and daughter Amber with epilepsy.
• Pegi Young's debut album was recorded in her home studio at the Broken Arrow Ranch.
• Pegi Young died of cancer on January 1, 2019, aged 66, in Mountain View, California.