Banjos & Bibles: Arnold Taylor '51 Led a Colorful and Generous Life

Rev. Arnold G. Taylor ’51 spent four years on Pacific University’s campus, but he seemed to be present for much longer, even as his life took him to distant places and new callings.

Taylor, who died this spring at the age of 93, led a rich and interesting life before and after leaving Pacific. And throughout his life, he demonstrated his loyalty to his friends, to his ideals and to the university.

Before enrolling at Pacific, he was drafted into the Army in Providence, R.I., in August 1943, when he turned 18.

"What I had hoped for was to be an aviator. However, a quirk in my color perception disqualified me for that dream job,” he wrote in A Military History Narrative of Arnold Godfrey Taylor, a copy of which is in an office in Marsh Hall. “I asked if I could jump into the fight. One look at me and they laughed. I was a skinny kid, weighing only 120 lbs. One thought that if I were to jump out in a prevailing eastward wind that I would float into Berlin before anyone else — unless the parachute was weighted down with cannonballs, which may make for a loud landing and attract attention.”

Attribution: Mike Francis, www.pacificu.edu
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