Weldon Johnson Taylor, the first dean of the College of Business at Brigham Young University, died 21 August in his home at the age of 92. As a well known business educator and educational administrator, Taylor’s long life was one of great service, contribution and example.
In 1957, Taylor began his 17 year tenure as dean of the College of Business — later renamed the Marriott School of Management. During his tenure, a now nationally ranked MBA program was commenced and a National Advisory Council was organized. He also made building the BYU business school’s Department of Organizational Behavior a top priority.
“It would be hard to overestimate the contributions Weldon Taylor gave to the Marriott School,” said Ned C. Hill, dean of BYU’s Marriott School of Management. “He brought in faculty from all over the country. His vision and energy was inspiring as he initiated almost every program that is in place today.”
As dean, Taylor co-authored Marketing: An Analytical Approach with Roy Shaw of the University of Utah. Their marketing textbook was used widely by colleges and universities throughout the United States for a number of years. In addition, Taylor took a year’s sabbatical leave in 1963 to join the Ford Foundation to work with the National Institute of Management Development in Cairo, Egypt.
Taylor graduated from BYU in 1934, where he excelled at debate and once won a debate against future United States president, Richard M. Nixon of Whittier College. He served as a statistician for the Federal Power Commission in Washington, D.C. through 1935 and submitted data used by Congress to enact Utilities Holding Company legislation. He earned a degree from the Harvard Business School in 1937 and a PhD in marketing from New York University in 1952.
Funeral services are scheduled for Saturday, 26 August, 2000 at 11 a.m. at the Oak Hills Fourth Ward Chapel located at 925 East North Temple Drive in Provo, Utah. A viewing will be held at that location, from9:45 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. prior to the funeral. A viewing is also scheduled for Friday, 25 August, 2000 from 6p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Berg Mortuary, 185 East Center Street, Provo, Utah.
The Marriott School is located at Brigham Young University, the largest privately owned, church-sponsored university in the United States. The school has nationally and internationally ranked programs in accountancy, business management, information systems, organizational behavior and entrepreneurship. The mission of the Marriott School is to educate men and women of faith, character and professional ability who will become outstanding managers and leaders throughout the world. Approximately 3,000 students are enrolled in the Marriott School’s graduate and undergraduate programs.
