Alum's Experience Helps Shape Others

Charles P. Taylor, Jr. ’65

“You can only take what you left behind.” These song lyrics summarize the belief system of Charles P. Taylor, Jr. ’65 and are central to his continued involvement in and support of Transylvania. A desire to pass on the school’s promise to future students and leave behind a positive contribution led him to make a planned gift to endow a scholarship.

Growing up in Mayfield, Kentucky, Charlie heard stories about the school from his father, Charles P. Taylor, Sr. ’39, who played football and was a former Mr. Pioneer. After the family moved to Connecticut, he and twin sister Ann Taylor Irwin ’65 chose to follow in their father’s footsteps by pursuing a liberal arts education at Transy. Their younger sister, Frances F. Taylor, ’75, later continued the family tradition.

“I felt supported at Transy and the experience defined me,” Charlie said. He had a mild learning disability, yet thrived with encouragement from professors such as Dr. Richard Honey and many others. He credits his Phi Kappa Tau fraternity brothers, whose chapter had the highest GPA nationally, with teaching him to study and with lifelong friendship. He earned a history degree, played baseball and began to write songs.

Charlie’s life after Transy took many paths. He met his wife, Susan, in Washington, D.C., and spent more than 40 years as an executive with the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, and the Arthritis Foundation, and ultimately in regional development for Vanderbilt University. All the while, Charlie continued to write and publish music as he volunteered on class reunion committees and, most recently, the Transylvania Alumni Board.

“I love the idea of passing it on to someone that I may never meet or know…impacting the lives of students beyond my own,” Charlie said. If you would like to join Charlie and learn about making a planned gift, contact Diana McKenzie at legacygiving@transy.edu or (859) 233-8801.