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George Taylor Obituary
Chapel Hill
George V. Taylor, emeritus professor of history at the University of North Carolina, died at age 92 on December 12, 2011, in Chapel Hill, NC.
A New Jersey Quaker by birth, he graduated from Rutgers University. During World War II he served in the Pacific as an artillery officer and received the Bronze Star for valor during the Philippines campaign and then participated in the occupation of Japan.
After the war he began graduate study at the University of Wisconsin, where he met Margaret, his wife of 63 years. In 1950, with a brand-new Ph.D., he began teaching at Michigan State University and then had the great good fortune to be invited to join the history faculty at Chapel Hill. He never wanted to leave. He was a splendid teacher and lecturer. He received several teaching awards and, because of his rich, sonorous voice, was often asked to speak on behalf of the University. In mid-career he was elected to be Chairman of the Faculty and then chairman of the history department. He also chaired numerous committees that made recommendations on University policy and curriculum. His scholarship included several landmark studies of French economic history, particularly as it pertained to the French Revolution.
In private, George had a dry wit that delighted his friends and family. He was an enthusiastic hiker and swimmer and loved Carolina football and basketball.
He adored his family: wife Margaret, son Bruce (Paula) of Boxborough, MA, and daughters Betsy Taylor of Cary and Bonnie Blake (Travis) of Chapel Hill. There are also grandchildren Ben Taylor of St. Louis, MO and Sarah Blake of Chapel Hill, sister Marion Smith of Biglersville, PA, nephew Richard Smith of Lebanon, PA, and niece Katherine Smith of Raleigh.
Memorial gifts may be made the UNC History Department.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for George Taylor
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Betsy Taylor
December 5, 2017
Betsy Taylor
August 20, 2016
Betsy Taylor
August 20, 2016
John Hutcheson
December 26, 2011
During my undergraduate and graduate studies at UNC,Dr. Taylor was for me a personification of what I thought the study and teaching of history should be. I treasure the memory of the three courses I took with him, especially his historiography course required of all graduate students who weren't specializing in U.S. history, and the note in this Guest Book from Richard Gitelson captures something of what a class with him was like. He was a rigorous but compassionate member of my doctoral committee, and I was also fortunate to begin my own teaching career under his supervision as department chairman during the year I finished my degree. His devotion to his discipline and love for his particular sector of it, his inimitable wit, and of course his unforgettable voice and lecturing style were rarely far from my mind as I taught over the next thiry years. When I subsequently moved into an administrative position that entailed overseeing a faculty of nearly 150, I still found myself asking from time to time, "How would G.V. have dealt with this situation?" In recent years I've hoped that he was enjoying a pleasant and productive retirement, and I trust that this was at least largely so. The historical profession in general and the UNC community in particular were enriched by his having been part of them for so long, and his passing is a significant punctuation mark for each of them.
Carol Ewing Miller
December 21, 2011
I am very proud to have George Taylor as my uncle-in-law. Although I didn't know him well because I have always lived in Oregon and California, I have always been aware of his scholarship, pride in his profession and his dedication to his students and family. I have also admired his family's dedication to keeping him in the mainstream as much as possible in his later declining years. Loss is always hard. I send my greetings and love to my Aunt Margaret and cousins.
Tom McCurdy
December 20, 2011
I knew Dr. Taylor in his capacity as one of the founding members of the Chapel Hill Alliance of Neighborhoods. He cared deeply about the town, and, like others in the Alliance, thought that Chapel Hill was growing too big, too fast. His leadership in the Alliance was pivotal in getting like-minded people elected to Town Council "to slow things down." He also had a great sense of humor which I enjoyed. He will be missed, but he made his mark in many areas of human endeavor.
Richard Gitelson
December 18, 2011
I took a course from Dr. Taylor on the French Revolution. He was fascinating to listen to, not only because of his great voice, but because he made the material come to life. Most importantly, when he took the cigar out of his pocket at the end of class (not to smoke, but as a symbol that the formal part of class was over), you knew he was going to let you ask questions. Now, as a professor, I don't take out a cigar, but at the end of class, I ask if there are any questions. Invariably, there are none. But in Dr. Taylor's class, there were many, and I would try to ask a question at the end of every class. Why? Because when you did, he made you feel special. It was as if you were asking the most important question he had ever been asked, regardless of how trivial the question actually was. In that great booming voice, he would say, "Why, Mr. Gitelson, I'm glad you asked that question. I should have indicated that the French Revolution was fought in France." Okay, perhaps I didn't ask that particular question, but my questions were probably on par with that one. Yet, Dr. Taylor made me feel like I was a fellow scholar of the French Revolution. One last memory I have of Dr. Taylor. We all knew he spent a lot of time in the catacombs of Wilson Library, and I pictured him always in the library. I was hoping he had a family and a life outside of school, but I never got a change to ask him. Once, we were in Luby's having dinner and I noticed he and his wife and family there. They were all having an animated conversation and the smiles indicated that each person cared for the other. That made my day. My thoughts are with the family.
Virginia Aldige'
December 18, 2011
I am so sorry to hear of Dr. Taylor's death. He was a lovely gentleman and a stimulating lecturer as well as a major scholar of the French Revolution. I had two memorable graduate courses with him and he became my favorite professor.
John Benson
December 18, 2011
In sympathy for your loss.
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