Judith Taylor oral history interview, January 19, 2010

Item — othertype: Oral History

Identifier: TaylorJ_20100119

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Interviewed by Morna Gerrard. Judith Taylor begins by talking about her childhood, her relationships with family members, and the history of her grandparents and parents’ lives. Taylor describes her memories of summer camp as a child, as well as how the polio outbreak affected her summers. Placed on an advanced track at school, Taylor found herself entering college at Brandeis University at age 15. She talks about her experiences at Brandies, and campus events that occurred during the McCarthy period. After graduating from Brandeis, Taylor met her husband Mark and they settled down in Atlanta. Taylor discusses her community involvement in organizations such as the Brandeis Women’s Committee, Hadassah, the League of Women Voters, and ORT. Moving onto family life, the Taylors developed their own subdivision in which to raise their children, and Taylor talks about living in that neighborhood and raising her children in the Atlanta school system. She finishes by discussing travelling with her family, and winning her battle against breast cancer.

Dates

Creation: January 19, 2010

Creator

Taylor, Judith, 1936- (Interviewee, Person)

Restriction on Access

Oral history available for research.

Biographical Note

Born in Brooklyn, NY in 1936, Judith Taylor graduated at age 19 from Brandeis University and moved to Atlanta after her marriage to Mark Taylor. As State Public Affairs Chair for the National Council of Jewish Women, Taylor lobbied in the state legislature on issues relating to women, children, and the elderly, including the ERA, changing rape laws, and juvenile justice. She campaigned for the first female Atlanta City Council members and helped to found Vote Choice, a Georgia PAC. She was also a founding mother of the Atlanta Women’s Foundation. the first woman to serve as Vice President of the Planning and Allocation Division of the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta, and the second woman Vice President of its Community and Government Relations Division. Judith is an alumni, as well as alumni chair, trustee and treasurer of Leadership Atlanta, and a lifetime member of the Board of the Southeast Region of the Anti-defamation League. Taylor has been recognized for her many accomplishments: in 1984, she was a member of the first YWCA Academy of Women Achievers. Then, in 2008, she and Mark were the recipients of the Jerry and Dulcy Rosenberg SHORASHIM Award, and in 2010, they were both recipients of Planned Parenthood of Georgia’s Living Legends Award.