The family of Jerry and Martha Taylor is celebrating the legacy of the community-leading power couple with a passion for the Quad Cities this holiday season with a memorial scholarship in their honor.
The Taylor family also is welcoming contributions from the community to help grow the number of Rock Island County college- and trade-school-bound students who will be helped by the new Jerry and Martha Taylor Memorial Scholarship Fund. Those who wish to donate to the fund administered by the Quad Cities Community Foundation can find the link here.
The Taylors died a little over a year ago, both at age 74, and within eight days of one another. They were married for 57 years and raised a family of six children in the Quad Cities.
Mr. Taylor was the pioneering publisher of The Dispatch and Rock Island Argus. He died on Dec. 8, 2022. Ms. Taylor, a gifted dancer, teacher and choreographer, and owner of the Junior Performing Arts Troupe (JPAT), followed him on Dec. 16, 2022. Both were surrounded by their loving family.
“To say Jerry and Martha Taylor were fiercely independent would be an understatement,” the family said in a statement introducing the fund on the Quad Cities Community Foundation’s website. “They were amazing as individuals and far greater as a team. They were dedicated to their faith and passionately committed to their family and their community.”
Community champions
The Taylor family was well known in the community and the Taylors were tireless champions of a number of causes and organizations, such as the Quad City Music Guild.
Through the Quad Cities Community Foundation, the family said it will honor their father, mother, sister, grandpa, grandma, and friend via scholarships to be awarded to students from Rock Island County who major in journalism, theater arts, or special education or who attend an accredited trade school.
“Our parents always advocated for young people,” said daughter Kathy Taylor-Ruggeberg, assistant superintendent for Teaching & Learning in the Rock Island-Milan School District 41. “Their six children and over 20 grandchildren and great-grandchildren meant everything to them. They believed in the young people in our community, too; they wanted everyone to have a chance to reach their goals. This scholarship honors those values.”
The scholarship is designed to reflect the couple’s passions and convictions. “The Jerry and Martha Taylor Memorial Scholarship is a perfect example of how Community Foundation scholarships are meant to function,” said Joscelyn Rowe, gift advisor and the foundation’s director of engagement. “This award will honor the Taylor’s powerful legacy and pass their dedication to our community on for generations.”
The Taylors were equally dedicated to their family and the community.
Despite the challenges of mothering six children, Ms. Ruggeberg said of her her “ever the gifted dancer and gracious teacher, taught ballet at Black Hawk College and in her home.”
Ms. Taylor founded JPAT in 1984 and continued operating her business until she retired in 2009.
‘Passionate’ about QC
The couple met while in high school. After graduation Jerry was drafted, and served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam from 1969-1971. He was awarded the Bronze Star in 1971.
The Taylors moved to the Quad Cities in 1975 and remained dedicated to that community until their deaths. Together, for example, they helped build many organizations, including the Quad City Music Guild.
Mr. Taylor’s influential five-decade career in journalism also included serving as managing editor, general manager, and editor and publisher of The Dispatch/The Rock Island Argus/QCOnline.com.
“They were passionate about the Quad Cities,” son Phil Taylor said of his parents.
“For those who shared moments with Mom and Dad, and for those who never had the opportunity, this scholarship ensures that their values continue to thrive. My parents modeled the responsibility and joy of providing opportunities and looking out for those less fortunate. As a family, we’re determined to make sure that spirit continues.”
Tragically, the family faced another unexpected loss April 12, 2023, when Danny Taylor, their beloved grandson and son of David and Melodi Taylor, was killed during a break-in at their home.
“Mom and Dad lived for their grandkids,” Phil Taylor said. “Danny’s memory will forever be intertwined with the cherished legacies of his grandparents, including this scholarship.”
