Alfred W. Taylor

Alfred William Taylor, 85 years of age, passed away June 14, 2021 peacefully in his home. He is survived by Paula Kendall Taylor, devoted wife of 63 years; his children Pam Smith (Eugene Smith) of Little Rock, Arkansas, Debi Rye (John Rye) of Lebanon, Ohio, Alfred Paul Taylor (Kassie Taylor) of Carbondale, Illinois and sister Katheryn Wilson; his pride and joy, ten grandchildren, Jennie Shelburne, Sara Welty, Matthew Crall, Elise Rye, Kendall Parsons, Grace Evans, Alfred Braden Taylor, John Rye IV, Jeremiah Smith and Blake Taylor; five great-grandchildren, Lucy, Ellie, Audrey, Jameson and Rylan; predeceased by sisters Hazel Spitze and Gladys Price.

Al was born on October 8, 1935, in DeQueen Arkansas, to Alfred Watson Taylor and Manila Suggs Taylor, in a house his family built. He was the youngest of four children, with three older sisters. Before his second birthday, his parents decided to move to Fayetteville so their children could all go to the University. With only a few dollars and no place to live, they packed their old Chevrolet with clothes, bedding, food, and an oil stove. Upon arriving in Fayetteville, they found a house to stay in for a month if they agreed to clean it up and maintain the yard. Just in time for the start of the school year, the family found a better house to rent and sent for their furniture and cow to be transported in a flat truck. Being the youngest child, Al got tired of family members spelling whenever they didn’t want him to know what they were saying. One day he proudly announced, “HRND… it might spell watermelon or it might not.” This was a favorite story shared lovingly by his siblings for decades.

Al’s exceptional work ethic began at age eight, waking up early, and tirelessly throwing papers on his paper route. At fifteen years of age, he quit his paper route and began sacking groceries at the local grocery store for 25 cents an hour. After a short time, he was promoted to cashier, increasing his salary to 75 cents an hour. He saved every penny to help his sisters with their college tuition and in turn they paid back the debt. As a result of their loyalty, all four children received their degrees at the University of Arkansas.

He loved all genres of music and began playing the violin at age twelve. He was Concertmaster of the Fayetteville Youth Symphony Orchestra as well as 2nd chair violin in the University of Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. He also played basketball at Fayetteville High School. His mother wouldn’t let him play football citing it was too dangerous for such a lanky boy. He loved playing basketball but never gave up playing the violin. During high school basketball practice he would bring his violin. We are unsure if he ever played for his teammates but quite confident he was the only player with a violin in tow.

With math being Al’s favorite subject in school, it’s no wonder he became an engineer. He attended the University of Arkansas from 1954-1958 and completed his B.S. in Industrial Engineering. His thirst for knowledge led him to receive his Masters in the same field ten years later. Al excelled in the University environment and was anything but idle. Among his college accolades, he served as president of the U of A Chapter of Industrial Engineers and was a member of Blue Key, Alpha Phi Mu and Tau Beta Pi.

Al began his career in industrial engineering in Greensboro, North Carolina at Western Electric, taking a short leave to serve as 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. Later, he joined Dierks Forrest in DeQueen, Arkansas, where he was plant engineer for three years. In 1964, he began working at the Little Rock plant of Teletype (later AT&T) where he remained until his retirement.

Al was a pillar of his community. He coached at the North Little Rock Boys Club for thirteen plus years and is lovingly known by many as “Coach Taylor”. He also served as president of the DeQueen Jaycees, president of Lakewood Owners Association, and various positions on the Administrative Board at Lakewood United Methodist Church including video coordinator. In 1988, he was selected as a member of the Arkansas Academy of Industrial Engineering (AAIE) and served as president of the chapter. Later he and Paula supported the scholarship program for Industrial Engineering students at the University of Arkansas given through AAIE.