David Taylor
*David Taylor was born on this date in 1945. He is a Black author, educator, and administrator.
From St. Paul, Minnesota, his father was Clarence Taylor, and his mother was Eula Teresa Vassar. His grandfather's uncle Carroll Minges Vassar moved to Saint Paul in 1888. His grandfather, Joe Vassar, moved his family to Saint Paul in 1920. He and his wife had sixteen children. Raised in the Rondo community, as a child, Taylor's family attended St. Philip's Episcopal Church, and he attended Maxfield Elementary School. He was a newspaper editor by the time I was thirteen. He and his friends published a newspaper called the Trumpet that came out once a week.
Taylor graduated from St. Paul Central High School in 1963. In 1967, he earned a B.A. from the University of Minnesota and an M.A. in history from the University of Nebraska–Omaha in 1971. In 1969, he was drafted into the army during the Vietnam war. After service, he earned a Ph.D. in history from the University of Minnesota in 1977. For 16 years, Dr. Taylor was dean of the General College at the University of Minnesota.
He has authored two books, contributed to several others, written numerous articles and book reviews, and lectured extensively on African Americans' migration and settlement in Minnesota. Some of his writings are African Americans in Minnesota, Cap Wigington: An Architectural Legacy in Ice and Stone (2002), and They Chose Minnesota: A Survey of the States Ethnic Groups (2003). In 2005, he became provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Morehouse College in Atlanta. He was part of a team of educators at Xavier University that preserved many valuable documents in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
He is most proud of being able to assist young people in achieving their educational goals. David Taylor lives in Atlanta, GA.
