William B. Taylor and David Taylor

00:03 Okay.

00:05 My name is David Taylor and I'm 44 years old and today is May 21st, 2006 and where in the storycorps mobile booth in front of the Library of Congress in Washington DC and I'm interviewing My Father Bill Taylor wouldn't be Taylor Senior.

00:25 And

00:27 Okay, my name is Willie retailer. See you. I am 81 years old today is May 21st. 2006. We're located in the body boost storycorps booth in the library Congress in Washington, DC.

00:48 My Parker today.

00:51 Is my son David?

00:55 Well

00:58 Dad what's up, what's your first memory that you can remember at all?

01:05 What are the what are the earliest memories I have is when I was about to and it wasn't my grandfather and my mother's father. Who would I say oldies about 20 years younger than I am.

01:24 His name is not what I was looking for him. His name was William D Newton.

01:34 Amend

01:37 What was his what was your grandmother? Like my grandmother was the

01:47 Is my mother's Mother where do we live? What I was when I was young was was the very model of a grandmother.

01:57 I recall one time before that we were playing out at the sidewalk and sub older kid. Probably about six push me down and I spent money.

02:14 And I yelled from helping my grandmother came out of that you took me inside and she she asked me up whether or not this guy doesn't on purpose and I should know I did it on the sidewalk.

02:27 And that she gave me a chocolate really chocolate covered marshmallow man that cured my sore need a price on that one. That was

02:42 She knew had a lot of who take care of kids.

02:46 And you live with them for about for the for 4 years and I was about four and then my parents built our old home.

03:03 And what was

03:06 What were your parents like growing up? I knew I appreciated your writing a short biography of your for your father recently. And I know that's probably brought up some maybe memories that you haven't thought of as well. He was

03:24 It was a marvelous God. He was a hard charger. You did everything.

03:30 What's what's a lot of energy in the US real outgoing personality. My mother was very sweet. Lady who?

03:39 Who influenced the family without ever raising our voice for example?

03:51 I guess but I was out sick Sia never developed to go to school.

03:59 Electric upholstery, Alicia

04:03 He just quietly put me in bed get here.

04:07 I have your nose to Castro up and went shopping for the day and that cured my stomach aches. And so she knew how to take care of people that raise your voice.

04:22 My dad didn't raise your voice by Shirley, but that he got a little more.

04:36 How old

04:39 How would you say you were like as a child? Would you remember being as disorder where you basically happy or not? You have that was happy. I had an older brother who used to be living around little bit though. I got a younger brother and I both of you so I was up but I was happy with you.

05:08 Got it. Got it.

05:12 I enjoyed athletic song. I used to like to play. I want to take a very good but I enjoy play hard.

05:24 Who are your best friends say in middle school or high school? And what were they like for they also athletic or with it? Yeah, and

05:36 For example one friend of mine and I went out to the ballpark to send off of professional baseball to even though you got a job is bad boys and other friends we having that was a high school fraternity that I was in a lot of good friends with that.

05:58 So both in school and church and in the neighborhood we had the movie.

06:07 A good thing to do had fun things to do. We got in trouble every now and then.

06:12 That's part of growing up.

06:18 In high school, what did you think your your life would be like when you when you were older? What did you imagine things to be like God will do for the future when I was in high school.

06:35 It was just at the very beginning of World War II.

06:46 Bucked up

06:48 Alright early on became convinced that I wanted to be in the Army. I wanted to my dad and Ben are they are made my ancestors at the end of Civil War the Confederate side in the revolution. So I guess I felt like I was kind of a family trait a plant that is probably earlier High School audio

07:18 I didn't explore and all the other Alternatives and maybe I found out too soon, but that's what I wanted to be.

07:28 Did you enjoy school at that time? Yeah, summer came in up when he got out of school, but I didn't have too much trouble. He accidentally part of it.

07:51 Athletics played the band play the trombone of the band. That was sounds good. What subjects? Did you like best to just our teachers? Did you come to mine? I had a potentially good math teacher. She was very good and also with history teacher

08:12 Lunch was very good. That's a pretty poor teachers. If not, that's he's in chemistry, but I had joined up.

08:21 I also

08:24 Look like you had a good Latin teacher.

08:28 Didn't you have a math tutor when you were getting prepared for?

08:34 Either the test to go to West Point or was a math tutor. He was up.

08:46 Tutored a lot of people to give lot of preparation for taking the exam for West Point Naval Academy and also weapons to label architecture school and he was very good. I think he also had an alcohol problem but I didn't realize you didn't pay much attention to it was at that time, but he was he was

09:10 He was good. Most everybody who went to influence for tutoring got into school. They wanted to go with you.

09:20 Anxiety and he would just tell me he likes to buy a new shirt every day shirt every Sunday to go to the church and he wear that shirt all week. Then he throw it away. Yeah, he was a character.

09:41 I used to go there before school in the morning. I would ride my bike to lose about 5 miles from where we live and I ride my bike over there at 6:30 and then get home and have to go to school that are you want to make sure you're going to ace that test for West Point? Well, yeah, I was the first time I took the exam. I I got the appointment of the day work outfit, but I turned that down to the last after what I wanted. So I tried again.

10:15 And before you before you finish High School, you met somebody that we both know. What was your first impression of my mother?

10:28 My first impression of your mother-in-law

10:33 But this was at 5 a.m. Missouri. I better help my sister invited me up to when she was in college at Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, and she invited me to come out to a dance.

10:49 Because her fiance yeah, who was at the Naval Academy was not able to get off that weekend to go to the dance while I was turned at the last minute. He got to be able to go. So well, that was the fifth wheel. So she got me a date with this lovely young lady from Alexandria turn up the video.

11:11 Love my bride 60 years ago.

11:15 Did you really did you believe in love at first sight at the end? I know I didn't look too but that's what happened. But she she was a freshman in college, and I was a senior in high school and she never let me forget it.

11:33 What time is it tonight that I was not able to we were able to to date for a while, but it was three years before we can get married cuz I kept you can't be married with your Military Academy.

11:47 So, how often would you visit Fredericksburg then to?

11:51 See how well.

11:55 I guess I visited Fredericksburg again before I went into West Point and then but the first year you gave you not allowed to leave the the academy so I didn't get to go there until maybe a year or year-and-a-half later and then just down there a couple times and then I visited her.

12:21 They were supposed resistant to the idea of our getting married in the war was still going on.

12:28 We we we dated several times. She when she came to Norfolk to visit my folks.

12:36 And where did you go on your on your honeymoon?

12:43 What we were married in Alexandria, and we went to we went to Natural Bridge forget you which is in the southwest part of the state as I say the car or so going to travel too far with the barber dad's car for this week near Blacksburg and that we went to to Nags Head for a couple days.

13:14 Send data back to Norfolk to.

13:17 To deliver the car back to my dad. I get smacked head with a little bit different in those days. It was I was delightfully was just a stripper on Love & Hip Hop

13:37 I was in uniform and that's happened. But by then so I walked in with shoes and socks.

13:46 House with all the stuff on it like it was delightful Place nothing.

14:07 What problems did you encounter in the first years of of your marriage?

14:20 Birthday problem was we were married with you. I went through training at Belvoir and Fort Belvoir and admin in the fall semester. Yes, October. I was shipped overseas that she couldn't come. So the first a problem with separation for consecrate buds.

14:48 Play she came over to Austria. I was in the army of occupation there.

14:55 And

15:01 What do you say what problems but I always made the less money of those days per week per month that most people get dressed and allowing these day for a week. It was money was tight.

15:21 Everybody was the same boat. So that was not up. You know that something about a unique problem.

15:30 I can't think of any real problems with it and we had a problem with that flies. Are you if you're asking what problems is she and I had we didn't have any.

15:51 That's great.

15:57 What after you were in?

16:00 Austria fur less than a year than you were called back to us. What was New Mexico to the Sandia base near Albuquerque to Julio work on the Manhattan Project.

16:19 We had a tablet to be expected to be years after that. We had great plans to take vacation.

16:32 They were cut short map going back to Albuquerque.

16:36 Under Armour he was a great place when we first got there it was

16:41 So different from what we've ever been before, but we loved it actually been there a while.

16:49 I know you need a lot of close friends. They're very good for you still get together. That was an exciting tour and we working on Sonic weapons.

17:02 The use of them, but I have a nuclear test.

17:10 That was an exciting and very interesting to her.

17:14 Was that at?

17:16 Shock when to go to the test then and the to see them actually go off well.

17:28 I would not say it was a shock. I would say it was pretty awesome.

17:36 You have to see it to believe it and not only did the the visual what you see, but the effect of it is.

17:48 It's tradition that you said we never should use those weapons.

17:55 What were the looking up to your life to that point? What were the sort of the sound of the hard times as well as it's going a grown-up grew up through the depression you went through the day that we were.

18:10 We didn't have lived through the depression. Of course.

18:15 I was just a kid to recover depression so we didn't.

18:19 My dad worked hard he was using insurance agent and he was able to keep food on the table. We didn't and he was self-employed so he didn't get fired from a job.

18:35 But that we could see that.

18:38 What we learn from them to the acid test of you know, you really have to

18:44 Ask yourself before you spend money. Is this what you really need for? The morning was better for it was. They were tough Economic Times, but

18:56 We weren't personally.

18:58 The problem was a problem and that's it.

19:08 And then then

19:11 Hard family times then to in terms of either. I don't remember where.

19:18 Grandparents well

19:31 Play to get over my grandfather while he died before the Depression started and my uncle he had Polio. Also when he was a kid something like that. So he was not in the service ever had Eddie.

19:52 He was he was a great guy. He didn't have you taught school in the little lot of different different types of jobs.

20:03 To keep his food on Fable. What are you?

20:06 I guess he was affected poor by the economic hardship of the depression that the others in the family.

20:16 Read we were close to their babies.

20:20 Who's my mother's younger brother music.

20:33 When when you mentioned so you

20:40 I guess where and how did how did becoming Apparent at becoming a father change you it in and then liquid?

20:49 How your older brother Bill was born and then when we were in, Albuquerque, New Mexico and NAFTA.

20:57 Getting a little getting used to a third young young life and then in the home is

21:05 Is a challenge and it's also a lot of fun and the

21:13 I guess.

21:15 We never we never question question the idea that we wanted to have a family and there's no

21:23 So he was the first and let course in everything that we were kids. We were only 22 when he was born.

21:32 So we had to get used to it.

21:36 The habitat that responsibility

21:43 Wish I could fly through your when your sister ran was born. We had you know, we've had some experience with it.

21:52 By the time you came along we've been through the mail two or three four times, so

21:59 You were you eat with Jesus one of the bunch. Did you ever expect to have five children when you were delighted with over 500 never before we had a family?

22:23 Turned out I was

22:27 Great.

22:29 What you went through a tough time in the early 50s when you contracted polio and yeah, how did you get through that? That was that was that was a challenge. I was tough. I was 28 we had three kids at the time.

22:50 It just you know it.

22:55 At what? I thought was a pretty good career going in the Army Corps of Engineers that changed everything you are lyrics I was retired from you, honey.

23:08 It was really hard on your mother.

23:12 I was in the hospital for a year.

23:17 So she at the race for free kids and then she did a great job at it.

23:24 Livery Cab light

23:26 She came to see me everyday in the hospital for a long way across Washington to Walter Reed from then.

23:34 So it was it was an adjustment.

23:37 Are you but fortunately I was an engineer at was until you. So late I could I could still do a do a job and went back to work work work for other 22 years for the Army then then that's an engineer civilian engineer.

23:58 I was I was lucky to be to have that 12.

24:02 That type of experience that I could use you also used engineering on the personal level and know you for the redesign that

24:12 Gear shift for for the car so you could actually

24:17 Do it with a guy with your shifter the accelerator or brake know it was a gear it was an it was the other portion of the rising was.

24:32 It was hooked into the hydraulic power power steering system. Did you know of other examples of matter use kind of improvised that well?

24:44 I am

24:47 I didn't know whether examples of adverbs Machinist.

24:55 Who was very very good machine shop and talk to him about it, and we worked it out with you.

25:08 So it worked it worked fine until

25:13 The car will actually get it for a couple 3 years and then he power steering systems on the Earth.

25:24 To the point where I could not going to end up with her to deliver system. What kind of car was that?

25:34 But up is the next car we bought in which had a better power steering system that I didn't need to use. The lever system was a Pontiac.

25:49 And you Nunu car is going back from when you were just a

25:53 Three or four years ago. Yeah, I was I was I was intrigued by cars and I could tell the car coming down the road just by listening to it and what model it was ya course of those days. We made a lot of noise.

26:13 The better brain advances in cars

26:17 Will later in your career, then you went through a lot of other things. I mean you didn't worked at Nasa know what would highlight what you want to especially what are you most proud of and later career?

26:32 Satisfaction is our number things. I was mostly in the resource development business and

26:42 I guess the first.

26:46 When I got Polio, I was involved in a nuclear power program developing nuclear power reactor for power generation and the family of those we build 5e the power plants.

27:02 What at Fort Belvoir warning in Greenland one-and-done lacquer?

27:16 That I was involved in research development at Fort Belvoir of mapping its genetic survey systems and we felt the Vault the satellite system for

27:27 For accurately locating points on the Earth's surface.

27:33 Targeting from thistles

27:36 I am not that big baller to go into the

27:41 NASA space flight program the Apollo program

27:50 The following to the new lunar Landing program to get into at the time or was that a different new challenge? It was a challenge.

28:09 Oh, yeah, that was always risk with you when you think about something new like that.

28:16 I spent five years in that so that was probably the most interesting and challenging.

28:24 You programmed into that.

28:29 Good morning Vietnam what's going on in there?

28:33 Vacaville armies back to the Army

28:39 So high

28:43 Is it alright to eat for the CRV for several years?

28:47 And that was pretty satisfied.

28:50 At 4. Or when I was in charge of the laboratory there.

28:55 Which browser bridging system for the Army was about to move my detection systems.

29:04 I actually work.

29:09 Olympian Ahmed in Germany life later when the between the East and West Germany those right?

29:21 So the satisfaction was at the soldiers out in the on the field more readily.

29:37 That was electric power generation systems or that we develop silver lighter than Ford.

29:50 Maurice Bishop power, Texas

29:55 So that was yellow with a lot of things we leave out the love that I felt proud of.

30:02 And that

30:04 In the late sixties. Also you moved into the the house where you live now and we did we

30:14 Super lucky to be able to buy a lot on the river and build a house on it against the advice of your grandfather. That's an awful lot of money for doing that. I told him I looked at it and he said you don't live in a couple years later. He's he agreed that it was pretty good.

30:39 So that has been a very very satisfying.

30:45 It's a word for home. We love it.

30:49 What's your favorite part of the of the house in the river? I hope it's off of what I grew up with all those water small River and I really enjoyed boating.

31:10 Ceiling fan motor blower Indian can also

31:15 I think the most enjoyable thing is she on the river.

31:25 We built the house before Matt gets about sup.

31:32 Couple of miles away

31:34 This girl has weed corrected on text me out of the first day of school now. Okay, your brother design what year did Artist as you know, and she drew it up and for the other side of it. We got it architect to make it.

31:54 Can I get real without a good architect?

32:04 Well

32:06 How has your life been different than what you might have imagined when you were in your twenties?

32:13 Well how ya what I was about twenties.

32:22 I have to have a full thirty-year-old career in the army.

32:29 As every officer that has a day or bday tonight and I kind of look forward to that a lot of my classmates.

32:41 4 Westport Pkwy

32:47 After we did it in about 20 years.

32:52 Bushes that slow down and that one of my classmates made a bet with me with a there. He challenged me and I need a bed this time.

33:02 CP better to be less than five guys and play journals, and I said before that it turned out so our class did pretty well. I think you're lying.

33:17 Promoted to Major a Head of the Class. Love you too, though earlier than the Restless last song.

33:25 People keep telling me I'd probably be a general.

33:28 Titrations weather

33:32 Turned out of the city for you if I'd stayed in the Army. We would have had to move every couple of years.

33:40 I just saw my classmates move 25:25 times in their career.

33:47 We were lucky to be able to stay at one place first times we had before we go to the darker as you guys can all walk to school from the problem first grade through High School.

34:06 Black reports and picture that you stay in the same cuz you don't move every couple years. That's

34:13 Play my flash briefing.

34:16 It was tough on the kids.

34:19 So really that was an advantage to having been able to stay in one place.

34:25 I'm glad you can think of that way. I definitely help you didn't help me out there and I'm sure the others what question of what do you feel like you've learned from life?

34:39 Good have a safe that the first thing that comes to mind.

34:46 Can you come to my little sister?

34:54 You can't really control everything yet if you have Heroes.

35:00 There's a big planetary. Maybe you didn't see maybe you didn't design it.

35:08 I have faith in.

35:11 Fries around the blind God in Christ

35:18 I can't control everything back in prison.

35:22 Take advantage of what comes on the bike.

35:28 Your mother and I feel very blessed.

35:34 What does we might apply the differently but

35:40 What dreams or hopes would you have for your children and grandchildren? Oh my gracious to 10 grandchildren, and we just want them to be able to.

35:59 Ursula girl take advantage of we've been fortunate to be able to

36:10 Total in the head on the education which is to have fun.

36:17 We want them to have the opportunity to be able to make their own decisions and they're all turned out pretty well.

36:30 Is there anything I we didn't talk about anything? I didn't ask that you want to add?

36:39 Well

36:47 She was continually on that last point that the five of you guys.

36:54 They have never have really made us parade.

36:58 Very proud of being humble to be able to handle it and I think that's all.

37:07 The bills careers that is not what we would have planned necessarily but it's turned a terrifically well and how to rub a nose like a real chance.

37:29 Precipitated by Birdy kids today. They've had to reel to reel Jules and Catholic.

37:43 Very proud when I know I speak for them stay in the we feel very loved by you and and and Mom and really happy to be able to talk about your life here. I don't have to tell you. This is a great great program. He's not here. We think it's just terrific.

38:04 Well, thanks for coming today. So I care about you.

38:10 We have more time.

38:13 Brand everything