Giving Back Comes From Within

Findlay College graduate Sheldon W. Taylor's career took him from the friendly neighborhoods of Findlay, Ohio to the rubber-producing jungles of Brazil and the complex corridors of the Pentagon.

But despite his international business experience and service to U.S. Presidents and Cabinet members, he remained a man who was down-to-earth, according to his daughter Rae Taylor-Kurasz.

After her father passed away in 1991, she met one of his Pentagon coworkers who shared that "Sheldon was the one person who didn't care if you were the janitor who cleaned the building at night or the Secretary of Defense – he would talk to you."

In contrast to many workplace environments where "people are thinking about themselves only," she believes that Midwestern friendliness and common sense were the essence of her father's personality,

Mr. Taylor '36, a summa cum laude graduate, studied in Findlay's teacher education program and played tennis. Interested in working for the government, he moved to Washington D.C. and secured a position as a fiscal analyst for the U.S. Naval Department.

There he met his wife-to-be, Florence Kling, who soon after secured a job in Brazil with a rubber manufacturer developing materials for World War II efforts. Mr. Taylor asked her if the company had an opening for him. They did, and both of them went to South America, where they were later married.

Returning home after the war, Mr. Taylor spent about a decade with the Navy before transferring to the Secretary of Defense's office in 1956. A recipient of the Defense Department's Meritorious Civilian Service Medal, he retired from the Pentagon in 1972. He later served as a financial consultant with the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Election Committee.

Upon his death, Mrs. Taylor-Kurasz, along with her sister and mother, created a scholarship at UF in his memory. "He loved his hometown of Findlay. He loved the college, he loved the high school. We thought, this should be about Findlay," she explained.

When her mother passed away in 1993, it became the Sheldon W. '36 and Florence Kling Taylor Memorial Scholarship and since has been awarded to more than 25 students.

Mrs. Taylor-Kurasz said funds for the scholarship, in part, were a culmination of years of birthday presents.

Growing up, she annually received a unique birthday gift from her dad – 100 shares of stock, which certainly wasn't exciting to a teenager. "But later, I suddenly realized these stocks are worth more than when I received them," she added with a laugh.

She and her husband, Gregory Kurasz, who do not have children, thought "what better thing to do than put it back in a scholarship for a place he loved?"

The couple, who live in Arlington, Virginia, are members of UF's CT Fox Legacy Society. Recently, they made the very generous commitment of a transformational gift to UF as a bequest in their will.

Although neither are UF alums, both are firm believers in the value of a strong university experience for young people.

Mrs. Taylor-Kurasz attended Virginia Intermont (VI) College and then graduated from Madison University in 1970. She has fond memories of her experience at the small junior college and was sad to see it close in 1996.

"I knew everybody there and I still keep in touch with friends," she said. "In a small school, like VI or Findlay, you can really blossom. There is a lot more attention paid to each of the students."

Mr. and Mrs. Kurasz also are pleased to see Findlay graduates gaining experiential knowledge while at the University and well-prepared to head out into the working world.

"There are so many real-life issues that kids have to face, and college needs to be a place where we let kids think. For many of them, this is the first time they are away from their parents. They will be making choices that depend on what they learn in those four years."

Mrs. Taylor-Kurasz encourages alumni to stay in touch with college friends and appreciate what you have learned and been given from your time on campus.

"I think giving back comes from within," she said. "If those years meant anything to you in life, you should give back because you want the University to continue to succeed. Give where you love."