Dear Member of the Edinboro Community,
It is with great sorrow that I inform you of the passing last night of Dr. Frank Taylor, 53, chair of our Sociology Department. Dr. Taylor died at Ruby Memorial Hospital, University of West Virginia, of injuries he suffered in a motorcycle accident near Morgantown last Friday evening.
On behalf of the entire Edinboro community, I offer our deepest condolences to Frank’s wife, Kathy, their sons, Zachary and Marshall, and to all of Frank’s friends, colleagues and students. They remain first and foremost in our thoughts and we will assist them in every way we can.
Under Frank’s leadership and in particular his personal emphasis on his students, Edinboro’s Sociology Department grew and prospered. I know he will be greatly missed by his colleagues and students.
Details of a memorial service being planned by his family will be announced later.
Sincerely,
Jeremy D. Brown, President
message courtesy of an Edinboro University mass e-mail.
This is extremely sad news. I really don’t know what else to say.
It’s going to be tough for the University to find a man half as charismatic and engaging as Taylor was. My condolences to his family and friends. From what I know of him, he was a really amazing guy.
I feel really lucky to have taken three great classes with Dr. Taylor. He will be sorely missed by the entire Edinboro community and hundreds of others. He breathed life into a classroom of detached and apathetic students, a classroom which was always jam packed. His family is most in my thoughts, as he often talked about his parents, children and grandchildren during class. Though his life was cut far too short, it seems like a wonderfully exciting and fulfilling life.
We all will sincerely miss him.
I am so very sad upon hearing this news. I really enjoyed the classes I took from Dr. Taylor. He had a way of making a 2 and 1/2 hour class go by so quickly. He was entertaining and an incredible teacher. I learned so much from him about sociology and just life in general. I will miss him. My condolences to his family.
Frank Taylor was, of all the Edinboro Professors, the one that really struck me as somebody who spoke his mind and wanted everybody to learn from him. He really opened my eyes to a lot of things and I think he def. changed my perspective on the world and had a huge impact on me. I can’t say that about many teachers in my life, probably only three or four have impacted me that much. I only got to take one class with Professor Taylor, and I am sad that I won’t be taking another with him now. May he rest and in peace, and may his family learn to fully recover from this great loss.
I had Dr. Taylor this past year and I really enjoyed his class. He did like to use the people in his class as part of sociological studies without our knowledge. With this in mind, I checked my university email. I haven’t recieved anything from Dr. Brown yet and I can’t find an obit anywhere. Can someone post something with more information or where I can double check this?
You can try to just check your e-mail again possibly. I’m not sure. I had this forwarded to me, and I surely can’t be the only one who had it.
http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:H98jRm3bRu0J:www.meadvilletribune.com/breakingnews/local_story_156111129.html+frank+taylor+edinboro+obituary&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
Also has the story.
I had just finished taking his Intro into Sociology Class on May 28, 2009. I am without any words that could do Dr. Taylor justice. I learned such a great deal from him, in such a short time. My only regret is that I did not have the chance to know and learn more from him. You will be missed greatly! I hope that somewhere in eternity, you are enjoying that sailing voyage you always spoke of taking after retirement! God bless you Frank!
My deepest condolences to his family. Dr. Taylor was an inspiring man and a wonderful professor. I, along with many other former students, will miss him tremendously. I hope his family and friends are holding it together alright.
Dr. Taylor, you have been a significant part of my education at EUP. You have pushed me over the years to excel and continue on with my education. You were one of the reasons I have been able to complete an international Thesis in Spain. Thank you for your devotion over the years. You will be greatly missed. My heart goes out to your family and all of those who have been touched by you in their lives.
Frank Taylor was an incredible man and a significant reason why I am who I am today. He gave me a chance when I had none. His wife Kathy is an amazing woman and has always been an inspiration to me. They loved what they did and who they were and always lived life to it’s fullest. To say Frank will be missed is an extreme understatement. Life at EUP will not be the same without him. May you rest in peace Frank. . . .
My heart is heavy with the loss of a friend. Frank and I worked together at Dana College…he encouraged me to return to college and finish my Ph.D.–which I did…thank you my friend for your words of encouragement. I enjoyed our sailing and hiking adventures. I’m thinking of you and my thoughts go to Kathy, your boys, and family.
I am deeply saddened by the news of Frank’s death. He was a student of mine a dozen or so years ago at the University of Nebraska. Frank was a remarkable person who had a zest for life. He was a devoted husband and father, a master teacher who could bring out the best in his students, and a skilled leader. My condolences go out to Kathy, their sons, his students, and his colleagues.
Frank had such a wonderful gift. He believed in his students. I think we made him laugh and wonder in amazement – even has he delicately put us back in our place. Frank Taylor will remain an asset to the academic community. Frank was a mentor to me at Dana College. I would sit in his office for hours while we talked about nothing and he strummed his guitar. The wonderful thing about Frank is his office door was open to all students. Frank, your influence is spread from North Dakota to Georgia, Washington, D.C. to Hawaii. We love you and you will be missed.
Finding that fix….
God Bless Dr. Taylor and his family
I recall the first lecture when your words and focus shocked my being
I started to notice the fire in its purpose, the dedication and persistence
As Dr. T dove into knowledge of the self
The norms, social structures, mores, etc…
I became a hooked like the old neighborhood junkie, with little concern for my prior thoughts….sociology was my fix
Dr. T would dish out sociological theory and concepts and relate to the current issues of the day and I would generously dive into every discussion
Most students recall his relaxed tone and calming presence as he would dive into the topic of the day
Almost on a weekly basis some student would test the limits, and Dr. T would let them down with one simple phrase…”Hog-wash”
I recall the moments when I’d feel the euphoria of intellect from the discussion topics and concepts
Knowledge is definitely one of the things you have to fall in love with and for most of us, you need that friend or mentor to brush off your dusted eyes, and point you in the direction of that fine specimen across the way. It just came to be that in my first year at Dana…Dr. Taylor was that mentor who showed me the way. My very first sociology course, the very first lecture…I was hooked!
I will truly miss one of my first mentor’s Dr. Frank Taylor! When I didn’t have a clue what to study or how to a approach my college studies Dr. Taylor would say, “Hog-wash Garry”, “if you want to see change, you gotta get in there and shake things up”. Even after leaving Dana he continued to make himself available to me for advice.
Thanks for having such a large impact on my life Dr. T…you’ll be missed,
Garry Clark
We are so very sad to hear of Frank’s passing. What a huge blow for so many people! As colleagues at Dana College, we knew Frank for only a few years, but a few years with Frank is like many years with a lot of other folks! Frank lived his life to the fullest – seemingly every moment! It was something to share an office pod with him! One moment he’d be expounding – full voice – about a social injustice, and the next moment he’d be playing his guitar softly in his office, and we’d hope he’d go on forever. Frank was a talented musician, as well as a brilliant colleague. His grasp of social theory was stunning, just as his music was wonderful. He expected a lot from his students, and he often got what he expected, although not always – that’s life in a college! Sailing with Frank, which I think we experienced twice, was amazing! What we remember most was his absolute joy to be out on the water in his boat. He’d shout, “Now we’re rocking and rolling!” Frank was generous as well. When he left Dana College, he made us a whole stack of CDs of music that he knew we’d like. We still enjoy it and remember Frank when we play it. It will be good to have that as a great memory of a friend whom we think of as a kind and passionate man with a sweet and generous heart.
Jan and Richard Potter
I am the Office Manager/Administrative Assistant in the Social Work and Criminal Justice Department here at Dana College. My memories about Frank are so wonderful.
First of all he was a fine man and loved teaching. I saw how he helped each student that came into his office, #113 at Dana College.
Another aspect I knew with Frank is how he loved to go boating. He loved every part of that.
There was one hobby I was always asking Frank to do and that is to play his guitar. He would sit in his chair in his office and play so beautiful. I loved hearing the stories of when he played in the band in his early years! He and I shared a lot of CD’s together, discussing what we liked and disliked. I am so happy to say that I have a CD of Frank playing the guitar and singing with his son Zach. He mailed it to me after he left Dana College. I will cherish it forever.
He was a family man too. He would talk about Zach and I would share with him about my two children
His sister, Elizabeth knew my son Bob, and took Spanish class together at Dana College. I was so glad that my son could study with Elizabeth.
So there is a special place in our hearts for Frank Taylor and his family.
There will be only one Frank Taylor. We will all miss him.
Suzanne Russell-Smith
We are so very sad to hear of Frank’s passing. What a huge blow for so many people! As colleagues at Dana College, we knew Frank for only a few years, but a few years with Frank is like many years with a lot of other folks! Frank lived his life to the fullest – seemingly every moment! It was something to share an office pod with him! One moment he’d be expounding – full voice – about a social injustice, and the next moment he’d be playing his guitar softly in his office, and we’d hope he’d go on forever. Frank was a talented musician, as well as a brilliant colleague. His grasp of social theory was stunning, just as his music was wonderful. He expected a lot from his students, and he often got what he expected, although not always – that’s life in a college!
Sailing with Frank, which I think we experienced twice, was amazing! What we remember most was his absolute joy to be out on the water in his boat. He’d shout, “Now we’re rocking and rolling!” Frank was generous as well. When he left Dana College, he made us a whole stack of CDs of music that he knew we’d like. We still enjoy it and remember Frank when we play it. It will be good to have that as a great memory of a friend whom we think of as a kind and passionate man with a sweet and generous heart.
Jan and Richard Potter
Well, it’s been one year since you left us Frank. R.I.P. Your missed.
I’m still keeping a beer in the fridge for you, buddy.
i just found out about dr. taylor’s passing…i was blown away by the thought that he would never be in the classroom ever again. i was so lucky to be in his class one summer. he always had such great stories and always made learning fun. i am so sad i’ll never have the chance to talk with him. what i do have are great memories as well as his encouraging words written on one of my assignments…he always made people feel good about themselves. he will be missed. he did include stories of his family often too. rest in peace frank, you’re missed by many at eup.