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Show One of the most intriguing Utonians is the one published in 1908 by the Class of '09. In it you will find a lively and detailed story of how the huge concrete "U" came into being on the hill above the campus. The essay is only one of a number of stories, articles and parodies describing life at the University at the turn of the century. With the hope that it will be of value to persons today who are unfamiliar with the University Community and to those in the future who are curious about the past, we wish to present in the spirit of 1908 the following essay on three fascinating personalities at the University of Utah. A product of Olympus High, Dr. Joseph L. Taylor faces a brilliant career in mathematics. Joseph L. Taylor graduated from Salt Lake City's Olympus High School in the spring of 1959. His English teacher there had predicted from his periodical failures to turn in daily assignments that Taylor would never make it through college. Quite confident that he would, was Mr. George Barton who had taught Taylor in several math classes and who knew his potential in that field. Following his graduation, however, Taylor did not go to school but went to work for the Sperry Company as a technician working on missile components and other similar devices. He had nurtured an avid interest in radio and electronics since grade school, from which he had gleaned a sufficient background for the job. . In December of 1959 he married a Swedish girlfriend whom he had met at Olympus during his senior year. She was new to the country, but shared his interest in sports, particularly skiing. Knowing he would need more schooling, Taylor enrolled in a night calculus class at the University of Utah that winter and in the fall of 1960 became a full-time student. From that moment his career took an astonishing leap forward as he began to cover mathematical topics at a pace far above average. Transferring to Louisiana State University in 1961, he took two more years to receive a bachelor's degree in math. Having combined graduate work with general education classes as an undergraduate, Taylor needed only one additional year to complete his doctoral thesis at LSU and subsequently received his Ph.D. in mathematics in June of 1964 - just four years after having entered college. Dr. Taylor (right) is often seen walking with colleagues from the math building to the Union for a casual lunch. He enjoys the friendly atmosphere at the U. and often socializes with graduate students, some of whom were high school classmates of his. He believes that an informal relationship with students is valuable towards establishing proper communication in the classroom. 16 |
