Dr. Frederick Harvey Taylor Sr.

Dr. Frederick Harvey Taylor, Sr., 81, of St. Simons Island, Georgia, formerly of Charlotte, NC, died Monday, April 1, 2002, surrounded by family and friends. Born January 9, 1921, in High Point, NC, Dr. Taylor was the son of the late Dr. Frederick R. Taylor and Rachel Farlow Taylor.
Dr. Taylor graduated from Guilford College, Greensboro, NC, in 1942, and was a Naval officer and veteran of World War II. Postwar, he graduated from Duke University Medical School in 1945, and completed residencies at Emory University in Atlanta, and Washington University's Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, MO. He was a loyal supporter of all of his colleges and universities.
Dr. Taylor was attending thoracic surgeon at Carolinas Medical Center, Presbyterian Hospital, University Memorial Hospital and Mercy Hospital, in Charlotte, NC, where he was also Chief of Thoracic Surgery. A member of numerous professional associations, including the American College of Surgeons and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, Dr. Taylor was past president of the Mecklenburg County Medical Society; the Charlotte Surgical Association; the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association; the NC Surgical Association; the Southern Surgical Association; and the American Association of Thoracic Surgery. He founded the Children's Heart Clinic in Charlotte, NC, and was a member of the Board of Trustees of Charlotte's Mercy Hospital.
Widely regarded for his knowledge of and research in tuberculosis, Dr. Taylor was nationally published in cardiac and pulmonary surgery. He conducted the first successful open heart surgery in Charlotte, NC, in 1957, and gained national attention with Dr. Paul Sanger and Dr. Giles LePage by pioneering the development of an artificial Orlon artery, a dramatic discovery still used in heart surgeries today.
Dr. Taylor was a charter member of the Quail Hollow Country Club, in Charlotte, NC, as well as a founding member of the Sea Island Golf Club and active member of the Sea Island Seniors Golf Association. He moved to St. Simons Island in 1995, with his loving wife of 20 years, Kathryn L. Taylor, who survives him in death. Preceded in death by his son, John M. Taylor and brother, Mark H. Taylor, Dr. Taylor is also survived by two sisters, Martha T. Turner of Winston Salem, NC, and Sarah T. Phillips of High Point, NC; daughter, Marsha T. Pepper, and husband, Steve, of Charlotte, NC; son Frederick H. Taylor, Jr., and wife, Barbara, of London, England, and Bronxville, NY; son, Paul B. Taylor, and wife, Angela, of Asheville, NC; grandchildren, Rachel M. Pepper, Jessica M. Taylor, Bradford M. Taylor, Harrison P. Taylor, and Forrest M. Taylor; many loving nieces and nephews; and precious caregivers, George and Wilma Gardner, of Brunswick, GA. Special thanks to the wonderful nurses at Hospice of the Golden Isles, Inc., Brunswick, GA, for their comfort and support.
Dr. Taylor-a true gentleman and a friend to many-so loved his grandchildren, and had many special interests, including golf and fishing, pottery and sculpture, gardening and bird watching, conservation and hunting.
A memorial service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, April 5, at Christ Church, Frederica, on St. Simons Island, officiated by Reverend Douglas Renegar, followed by interment at Christ Church cemetery. The family will receive friends in the Taylor home the evening of April 4, between 5:00 and 7:00 p.m. An additional service, officiated by Dr. R. Eugene Owens, will be held Monday, April 8, at 11:00 a.m. in the Belk Chapel at Queen's College. Afterwards, the family will receive friends in the McInnes Parlors in Burwell Hall.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to: Guilford College, Greensboro, NC, in memory of son, John M. Taylor, alumnae; The Crossnore School, Crossnore, NC; Queen's College, Charlotte, NC, the Kathryn L. Taylor Scholarship Fund; Christ Church, Frederica, GA; or the charity of one's choice. Arrangements are under the direction of Ch