Robert Eldred Taylor Papers

Access and use

Location of collection:
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Special Collections, University Libraries (0434)
Newman Library
Virginia Tech
P.O. Box 90001
560 Drillfield Drive
Blacksburg, VA 24062-9001
Contact for questions and access:
Phone: (540) 231-6308
Fax: (540) 231-3694
Restrictions:

The collection is open to research.

Terms of access:

The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction. Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.

Preferred citation:

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Robert Eldred Taylor Papers, Ms1994-033, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Summary

Extent:
0.1 Cubic Feet 1 folder
Creator:
Taylor, Robert Eldred, 1920-1994
Abstract:
This collection consists of the selective service records of Robert Eldred Taylor (1920-1994) of Larned, Kansas, during World War II. This includes materials such as Taylor's Aviation Cadet Training Rejection, an honorable discharge certificate, and a later letter explaining that he may be eligible for army duty. Other materials include a flight chart of Central America and a certificate of recognition for completion of the Gulf Sea Frontier Transport Pilot Course.
Language:
The materials in the collection are in English.
Preferred citation:

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Robert Eldred Taylor Papers, Ms1994-033, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection consists of the selective service records of Robert Eldred Taylor of Larned, Kansas, during World War II. This includes materials such as Taylor's Aviation Cadet Training Rejection, an honorable discharge certificate, and a later letter explaining that he may be eligible for army duty. Other materials include a flight chart of Central America and a certificate of recognition for completion of the Gulf Sea Frontier Transport Pilot Course.

Biographical / historical:

Robert Eldred Taylor was born to Ralph E. Taylor and Mary H. Lawton on August 6, 1920, in Larned, Kansas. During World War II, in 1942, Taylor was disqualified from Aviation Cadet Training due to color blindness, and entered the enlisted reserve corps. Upon finishing his flight training in February 1943, he was assigned inactive status to Pan American World Airways in Miami, Florida, to fly in the Latin American Division. In 1945, Taylor had to go in front of the selective service board again for possible duty.

Between 1940 and 1950, Taylor married Oueda Bordewich (1922-1982), and according to the 1950 census, he worked at a Ford Motor Agency in Larned. According to his findagrave entry, he married Mary Price in in 1982 after the death of his first wife. Tayor died on July 20, 1994.

External sources:

U. S. Federal Census, 1940-1950.

"Robert Eldred Taylor," Findagrave.com, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/74648540/robert-eldred-taylor, accessed on Nov. 13, 2024.

"Robert Eldred Taylor Jr" in the U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007, Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui-content/view/records?recordId=49127429&collectionId=60901, accessed on Nov. 13, 2024.

Acquisition information:
The Robert Eldred Taylor Papers were donated to Special Collections and University Archives in 1994.
Processing information:

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Robert Eldred Taylor Papers was completed in May 2024 as part of the project, "Piercing the Veil: Creating Access to the Archives of American Aerospace Exploration at Virginia Tech," funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) in 2024.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard