Thomas C. Taylor

Thomas Clark Taylor, 93, of Silver Spring, Maryland, died peacefully at the Casey House Hospice on September 21, 2020. Tom, as he was fondly known, was the beloved Father of Keith Taylor (Karen) of Bowie, and Linda Patterson of Griffin, Georgia, loving husband to Marian Taylor (deceased), a devoted grandfather to LaShaun Corley (Minx), Christina Serrano (Jose), Jasmine Sykes, and Keith Taylor, and a loving great grandfather to Paris, Marcal, Sofia, and Dash. He was a loving stepfather to Denise Kenner, and stepgrandfather to her daughters, Gia Kenner, and Kia Kenner Guilford (Brian). His parents, Thomas Taylor and Minnie Clark Taylor, his son, Stephen, and his sisters, Dorothy, Sylvia, Helen, Vivienne, Emma, Pean, Miriam, and Elly preceded him in death. He lived the last few weeks of his life at cousin Dennis’ house with his sister, Georgine, laughing, playing cards, and reminiscing. He also leaves many nieces, nephews, cousins, friends, and colleagues.

Tom was born in Hamden, Connecticut and in his teens, moved with his parents to Washington, DC. He graduated Dunbar High School and joined the Army from which he was Honorably Discharged in 1946 at the rank of Sergeant in the First Quartermaster Training Company. He achieved undergraduate and Masters degrees at Howard University and was a proud alumnus. He married Anne Taylor (later divorced) and started a family.

Tom said that his Army training prepared him to be a leader—and he was a great one. Over his professional career, Tom became a nationally recognized expert on early childhood education and day care. His focus on children started when he was a caseworker for the Board of Public Welfare in the DC government. His visits to DC slums exposed him to children living amongst filth and malnutrition, and he saw the outcome of this lifestyle: a weak foundation in a child’s life often led to delinquency and other problems as a teenager. As one of the founders of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Head Start Program, he understood the value of early childhood education. He developed and presented a comprehensive plan for a new agency that would advocate for high-quality childcare and early childhood education, and in 1965, to his surprise, was selected as the first Executive Director of the National Child Day Care Association. In the early 1970s, he successfully lobbied on Capitol Hill for quality day care and early childhood education, which resulted in a steady funding stream from the federal government, and private donations of multimillion-dollar grants.

Tom was a sharp dresser, an excellent dancer, and the definition of a gentleman. Tom’s loves include music, especially jazz and big band, spending time with children, playing bridge, poker, and Scrabble, Broadway shows, ice cream, the DC sports teams, ice cream, gardening, ice cream, and All Souls Unitarian Church where he was an active member. He also was a member and officer of the Brookland Literary and Hunting Club (BLAHC), and the Viceroys.

Fond memories include:

• Keith’s Best Man (perfect choice) at Karen and Keith’s wedding.

• Heartwarming visits with Linda in every city she lived in.

• In 2017, Keith and his Granpa going to New York City to spend the night and see the play

Hamilton on Broadway.

• The vibrant dress-up-and-go-dancing social life he had with his wife Marian.

• Saying the blessing at the head of the table for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners.

• Sweetly advising his granddaughter Christina with parenting advice while she was pregnant with

Sofia.

• LaShaun feeling special when Granpa took her to see her first live performance, The Wiz,

and then to dinner.

• Taking Jasmine to Wild World and riding the roller coaster—Jasmine terrified and Granddaddy

enjoying every second!

• Playing cards with his sister Georgine and his club friends.

He will be laid to rest with military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.

The family asks that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions be made to All Souls Church, 1500 Harvard Street, NW, Washington, DC 20009: https://all-souls.org/donate/