Norton State Tuberculosis Sanitarium
1891-1961
Dr. Taylor was born in the south side of Chicago. September 22, 1891. His father died a short time later and the children found what work they could to help their mother make ends meet. Dr. Taylor contributed his share by selling newspapers in Chicago’s tough South side.
He was an ambitious youth and set his goal at becoming a doctor. He worked his was through the University of Chicago and Rush Medical School. His internship was served at a steel mill hospital at Gary, Ind. Then followed a hitch in World War I as an Army doctor.
He began medical practice at Prairieburg, Iowa, and it was there that he decided to specialize in tuberculosis. He made the decision after a mistake in diagnoses of a tuberculosis case.
He joined the medical staff at the Iowa State Sanatorium for Tuberculosis at Oakdale and worked his was up to the position of assistant superintendent. He started as superintendent of the Norton San March 17, 1930, a hard job following in Dr. Kenney’s footsteps. He came as a young doctor with new ideas, and was foolish enough to favor the drastic step of surgery in the treatment of T.B. Dr. Taylor’s success, as a chest surgeon was almost spectacular. He made many of his own instruments and many of the procedures he helped develop are still in use today. (he came to the Norton Hospital in 1935 with a very long needle, it looked like to a 9 year old child, to remove fluid from my lungs).
He received many honors for his work and was a member of many organizations in his profession. One of his cherished memberships was in the Kansas Flying Physicians. He was past 60 when he learned to fly and bought a plane. He was named the Kansas Flying Physician of the Year in 1960.
Other interests outside his work, were woodworking, writing poetry, made sketches, an expert photographer, he liked golf and fishing. But above all he was a family man, He married Harriet Sack at Chicago in 1917, and they had eight children, three of them being doctors. Mrs. Taylor was named Mother of the Year in 1957. The children were David, Charlotte, Richard, Mrs. Lou, Thomas, Philip, Margo and Danny.
Dr. Taylor died December 22, 1961, after a four year struggle with cancer. Mrs. Taylor’s death occurred April 7, 1976, both buried at Norton Cemetery.