[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 92 (Monday, June 18, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1057]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           A SALUTE TO THE LIFE OF DR. GARDNER CALVIN TAYLOR

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. G.K. BUTTERFIELD

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 18, 2012

  Mr. BUTTERFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life of Dr. Gardner 
Calvin Taylor on the occasion of his 94th birthday. Dr. Taylor's 
indispensable contribution to American preaching and his instrumental 
role in the Civil Rights Movement underscore a life devoted to 
uplifting the human soul and the equal treatment of men and women 
everywhere.
  Dr. Taylor was born June 18, 1918 in segregated Baton Rouge, 
Louisiana. He was the only child born to Reverend Washington and Selina 
Taylor. He was only 13 years old when his father ``Wash'' Taylor passed 
away. Even the short time Gardner had with his father; he had already 
impacted Gardner's delivery of the spoken word. Originally pursuing 
hopes of one day becoming a lawyer, a single event would forever change 
his course and life pursuits. Gardner survived a horrific car accident 
that claimed the lives of two others. Convinced that his survival was 
no happenstance, it was then he experienced a call to ministry.
  In 1937, Dr. Taylor forewent plans to attend the University of 
Michigan Law School and enrolled in the Oberlin School of Theology. It 
was there he met his wife, Laurabelle Scott, whom he married in 1940 
and had one daughter, Martha. During his studies at Oberlin, Dr. Taylor 
preached at Bethany Baptist Church from 1938 to 1941. He later went on 
to pastor Concord Baptist Church of Christ in New York City in 1948. 
When he commenced his pastoral duties at Concord, church membership was 
a very respectable 5,000 members. By the end of his tenure in 1990, his 
unparalleled leadership and sermonic delivery grew the membership to 
more than 14,000 members.
  Striving to serve equally beyond the pulpit, in 1961, he 
unsuccessfully sought the presidency of the National Baptist 
Convention. His close affiliation with Martin Luther King, Jr. and 
other Civil Rights leaders placed him at odds with members of the 
National Baptist Convention. Not one to be deterred from service, Dr. 
Taylor along with Dr. King, went on to found the Progressive National 
Baptist Convention.
  Dr. Taylor's talent was revered. He taught at several elite divinity 
schools including Yale, Harvard, and Duke Universities. In 1979, Time 
magazine named Dr. Taylor one of the seven greatest Protestant 
preachers in America, and in 1980, the publication deemed him the 
``Dean of the Nation's Black Preachers''.
  In 1993, his influence reached into public service when he delivered 
the sermon for President William Jefferson Clinton's Inaugural Prayer 
Service. President Clinton was so impressed with Dr. Taylor that in 
1997, he again enlisted Dr. Taylor to deliver the benediction at his 
second inauguration. And, in 2000, President Clinton honored Dr. Taylor 
with the Nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of 
Freedom.
  Dr. Taylor is commonly referred to as the ``dean of American 
preaching'' and the ``poet laureate of American Protestantism.'' For 
many, Dr. Taylor's oration and style is considered the standard for 
young ministers seeking to learn the art of preaching. His brilliant 
ability to merge significant metaphors and powerful language into a 
seamless narrative continues to inspire clergy and laymen alike.
  Dr. Taylor's life constitutes a worthy example for others, one in 
which everyone uses his or her individually bestowed talents to enrich 
the lives of the beloved community. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to 
join me in congratulating Dr. Gardner Calvin Taylor on his 94th 
birthday and honoring his lifelong commitment to the betterment of 
society.

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