Year Inducted: 1997
Paul Taylor, retired executive from Monsanto Textiles Company and most recently from the Boeing Company, will never be ready for the rocker. Unless, of course, that rocker is equipped with a built-in computer and facsimile then this self-professed workaholic just might find the time to sit. Certainly, he has earned it. His honored career in engineering, his outstanding service to the engineering profession at the state and national level, and his distinguished military career are testament to a lifetime of work and commitment. But for Paul Taylor, there is no slowing down.
Taylor grew up in Huntsville, Alabama. After high school, he served in the Army Air Corps through World War II, where he flew 52 combat missions as radar lead navigator in B-17 aircraft in Europe. He was honored with the Distinguished Flying Cross and other awards for heroic action. He then enrolled in Georgia Tech, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering in 1949. Later, he was recalled to service during the Korean War. Afterwards, he served in the U.S. Air Force Reserve and became Director of the Research and Development in Air Force Materials Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. He retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1973.
Taylor spent the greatest part of his career at Monsanto Textiles Company. Joining Monsanto in 1956, he rose to become Manager of Technology Operations, the position he held at his retirement in 1985. He later joined the Boeing Company in 1986 as Manager of Plant Engineering. He retired from Boeing in 1993.
Taylor’s most significant impact has been through his contributions and service to the engineering profession, most notably to the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying and the Alabama Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors.
Appointed by the Governor in 1979 to the Alabama Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors, Taylor has served three consecutive terms. His 17 years of service as a Board member already exceeds the service of all but two of the board’s 33 past and present members. Nationally, he has risen to the top leadership position of the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying, serving as President in 1992-93. During this time, Taylor led the Council from a deteriorating financial situation to a major turn-around of financial solvency. His outstanding accomplishments prompted the Council to present him with the Distinguished Service Award with Special Commendation in 1995.
During his work with the National Council, he has led engineering accreditation visits to eight engineering colleges throughout the United States and has participated in 25 accreditation visits. He presently serves on the Board of Directors of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, the agency that accredits engineering programs throughout the United States.
Taylor was honored as a Fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers in 1983. At the time of recognition, he was one of only two AIChE fellows in Alabama. He is active in Rotary International, Engineering Societies, and the Mensa Society. He is past president of the Decatur Chamber of Commerce and serves on the Decatur Planning Commission.
Taylor and his wife, Helen, currently enjoy his retirement while residing in Decatur.
