October 19, 2010
Vice Provost and Dean Ed Taylor recognized by his alma mater
On October 14, UAA Vice Provost and Dean Ed Taylor and his wife Dr. Sue Taylor received the Distinguished Alumni Merit Award from their alma mater, Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA.
Each year, the Gonzaga University Alumni Association awards select members with its highest honor, the Distinguished Alumni Merit Award. Nominations come in from various sources throughout the University. Ultimately, recipients are chosen based upon their service and contributions to their families, their careers, their peers, and their communities.
Read the Gonzaga story about Ed and Sue here.
Drs. Ed and Sue Taylor speaking at Gonzaga University and accepting their Distinguished Alumni Merit Awards from Gonzaga president Dr. Thayne McCulloh.
Drs. Ed and Sue Taylor met as undergraduates at Gonzaga. Sue graduated with a chemistry degree, came to the University of Washington Medical School and then went to the University of California San Diego for her internal medicine residency. Ed earned dual bachelors degrees in sociology and psychology. During Ed’s senior year on Gonzaga’s basketball team, the team won 19 games—more than ever before. When Ed had the opportunity to play basketball overseas, he asked Sue for advice. She encouraged him to “live a life of the mind,” says Ed. “It was the best advice I ever received.” Ed earned his master’s degree in counseling psychology from Gonzaga. His Ph.D. in educational leadership and policy studies is from the University of Washington.
As those of us on the UW campus know, Dr. Ed Taylor is now the vice provost and dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs. After working part time in urgent care at Group Health for 15 years, Dr. Sue Taylor recently assumed a new administrative role as District Medical Director for Western Washington.
Over the years, the Taylors have worked together in a number of volunteer capacities. One of their proudest accomplishments is when they were selected as YMCA Volunteers of the Year.
The Taylors co-founded Molo Care, a non-profit organization that supports a group of Port Elizabeth township schools. The word “molo” means “hello” in Xhosa, the language spoken by many South Africans in Port Elizabeth. “Our connections with the people we met in South Africa are ongoing,” said Sue. “There is such a deep level of friendship and community with them. It’s permanent, it never ends.”
Dr. Ed Taylor is also a member of Gonzaga’s Board of Trustees and served on its Board of Regents from 1998-2005. He is a founding board member of the Rainier Scholars Program, serves on the boards of Lakeside School and Seattle Arts and Lectures, and works with schools throughout the state and region.
Congratulations, Drs. Ed and Sue Taylor!