The first time I stepped into the offices of Diverse Issues In Higher Education, I was with Dr. Orlando Taylor. He took me there to meet his long-time colleague and co-founder of the magazine, Dr. Bill Cox. As I listened to their wide-ranging conversation, about people they knew, or had known, and projects they worked on together, I was taken by the longevity of their connection to each other. They shared a common spirit in their separate spheres: to advance people of color through mentoring and teaching.
Dr. Katrina Rogers
In our long association, I traversed the field of higher education with Dr. Taylor. In one memorable instance, we stood at the entrance to the Council of Graduate Schools annual meeting, where so many people came up to greet Orlando. It was like a receiving line at a wedding, and it took hours to get into that room! Another time, I hosted an event at the President’s house in Santa Barbara, and my speech pathologist niece said to me in awe, “That’s Orlando Taylor! He wrote the foundational text in my speech courses.” Wherever we went, Orlando knew how to engage people’s hearts through his own scholarship and research, from my shy niece to the President of a powerful university. He was dignified in manner but always had a spark of good cheer and big smile.
For over 50 years, Orlando had a long and storied career. He mentored generations of students and colleagues, from being one of only three Black faculty members and the first Black tenure-track professor at Indiana University to his long-time service at Howard University. He considered it a personal goal to care for every person’s professional development. Almost everyone he ran across has a personal Orlando story. Most remark that “he made me think I could do more, that I could be more.”
Orlando was my senior advisor and served in my cabinet at Fielding Graduate University. My senior team and I have been so fortunate over these many years for his guidance, wisdom, and experience.
When I look back, there are three powerful ideas he left with us.
