Many of my blog readers have heard the news of the passing of Dr. Richard Taylor. Dr. Taylor died in his home Sunday, February 4th. Just before 9:00 AM, I was driving to the clinic to look at a calf. As I passed Dr. Taylor’s house, just north of the clinic, I noticed an ambulance in their driveway. “Huh,” I thought to myself. “I hope everyone is okay.” I made a mental note to call someone after the emergency to see what was going on. Then, right as I pulled into the clinic parking lot, my cell phone rang. It was Dr. Vroman, my former business partner. He gave me the news. Dr. Taylor had passed away suddenly from a suspected heart attack. I couldn’t believe it. It’s true that Dr. Taylor was in his 80s, but everyone that knew him knew that he took great care of himself. Since his retirement in 2012, he would walk to the clinic every morning, which involved walking up a decent hill. He would wave to every vehicle that passed along the way, even if his back was turned to you. I remember after his first few weeks of walking to the clinic, ladies were starting to fuss at him for not wearing an orange vest. One even went so far as to send him a vest. That’s how beloved Dr. Taylor was in our community. My first experiences with Dr. Taylor were most likely when I was younger. We would take our dogs, cats, and even guinea pigs to the veterinarian periodically. When I was growing up and involved in community theater, I remember all of us would be glad when Dr. Taylor showed up for a show. If he was there, we knew it would be a good crowd. His laugh was infectious and would reverberate through the theater. Then others would follow. After being a marine biology major at my college in Florida for a couple of years, I decided that my interest in animals was much more broad than marine life, so I wanted to explore veterinary medicine. I called the local clinic in Fayette to see if they were hiring. Sadly, they were not. I called around to few other area veterinary clinics with no luck either. Then, Dr. Taylor called me one afternoon and mentioned one of his receptionists wanted to take a little more time off in the summer. He asked if I was still looking for a job. “Yes!” I exclaimed. After researching veterinary school requirements, I had learned that in Missouri at least, I needed 400 hours of experience to be competitive on the veterinary school application. If I was going to apply in a year, I had to rush to get those hours. I’m pretty sure Dr. Taylor and Dr. Vroman just found a spot for me at the clinic out of the kindness of their hearts. I worked hard, got my hours, and Dr. Taylor and Dr. Vroman both wrote me letters of recommendation for veterinary school. I ended up getting accepted early after my junior year of college. My husband and I moved back from Florida, where I attended undergrad, to our hometown in Missouri for veterinary school. Throughout the first two years of veterinary school, I worked Saturdays at the clinic and then did the kennel work on Sundays. I’m not sure at what point Dr. Taylor decided I would be his replacement. I can’t remember or say for sure. But as the years of veterinary school went on, it became clear that Dr. Taylor wanted me to take his place once he retired. In fact, I think he would have preferred to retire a year or two before I graduated, but he held on for me. It became clear he had been toughing it out when he got injured during a farm call and had trouble handling some of the physical aspects of the job. For at least two weeks, I joined him on his emergency calls and assisted in delivering calves. I appreciated the experience and the opportunity to help someone who had worked so hard for so long. I worked for the practice for six years total before I started working there as an Associate Veterinarian. Dr. Taylor did his best to instill in me the values of hard work, community involvement, ruggedness, and scholariness. During Dr. Taylor’s funeral, the preacher said that veterinarians are the perfect mix of ruggedness and scholarliness. I never thought of it that way before, but he was absolutely right. And Dr. Taylor epitomized that balance. Admittedly, Doc Taylor and I didn’t always see eye to eye. Sometimes we would butt heads, as some often do when you have two knowledgeable, stubborn people that are certain that their way is the right way. I may have shown Dr. Taylor some of the new, progressive, evidence-based approaches to medicine. He showed me that they can’t teach you everything in veterinary school. There are some tried and true methods that do work well (and sometimes better), even if they don’t have double blinded peer reviewed studies to back them up. As a younger veterinarian from a different generation, I couldn’t relate to Dr. Taylor’s level of dedication. Sure, he was a great family man and was involved in many community activities. But in a lot of ways, the clinic was his life. I’ve found that many veterinarians in that generation live to work. Most people in my generation work to live. Sure, we love our careers, but our identities come to light after we leave work. I would roll my eyes when he would stay at the clinic until 5:30 just in case someone wanted to come after work and buy something. I didn’t understand his dedication or commitment to being at the office all the time, but I admired it. In a lot of ways, Dr. Taylor and I were about as different as you come. Very different generations, different genders and thus different experiences, different political beliefs, and different values or priorities. But despite our differences, we had a mutual respect. We challenged each other, and as a result, we both grew from it. He was my mentor and friend. I still can’t believe he’s gone. Part of me looks to see him sitting at his desk when I walk into work every morning. The day after his death, I peered around the corner, expecting to see him. Instead I saw his desk untouched with his Bible and notebook sitting in the center, ready for his next day’s reading. I still feel honored and blessed that he chose me as his successor. Furthermore, he entrusted me to run the practice and carry on his legacy. He has a rich legacy of caring for animals, but most importantly, caring for people. His hard work, dedication, love for veterinary medicine, love for people, community involvement, and infectious laugh will not be forgotten.
3 Comments
Barb Audsley
2/27/2018 08:19:24 pm
A very nice tribute to a worthy, wonderful veterinarian and a remarkable Christian man!
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Debbie Brucks
2/28/2018 09:10:12 am
Thank you ❤️🙏🏼
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John and Patsy Watt
3/8/2018 02:09:56 pm
Dr. Stroupe, you have characterized a wonderful human being, Dr. Taylor, so fully. Your work relationship with him was amazing and beneficial to our animals and we humans.
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Jessica Stroupe, DVM
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