Warrior Magazine December 2018

Taylor, Gordon receive alumni honors East Central Community College

disrupting his lecture. We tried not to go back around the campus after that! “Another instance I remember hap pened while sitting in Mr. Thrash’s history class on a hot, just after lunch, afternoon. Most of the students were drowsy and some asleep. Just in the middle of the class, and most of us not paying attention, he lifted his wooden desk chair and threw it out into the middle of the class room. This made a great noise, woke us all up and we didn’t doze any more that day!” Taylor said, “I truly enjoyed every thing and loved the experience. I would do it all again without hesitation.” In addition to his banking and mili tary careers, Taylor has also been active in his community, serving in various ways. He was selected Forest Citizen of the Year in 1989, is a past Cub Scout Master and received the Award of Merit from Boy Scouts of America, received the Forest Junior Auxiliary Award, and is a member and past president of the Forest Area Chamber of Commerce, from which he also received the Golden Shovel Award. He has been an active member at Forest Baptist Church, where he is a past chairman of the deacons, treasur er, Sunday school teacher and chair of the audio/video committee. Taylor is past president of the For est Rotary Club and the Scott County Mississippi State University Alumni As sociation, and past treasurer of Forest Community Arts, Inc. He previously served on the Dean’s Council for Mississippi State University Meridian Campus and is former chair of the East Central Community College Foundation Board. He is a member of the Friends of the Forest Library and the Forest Country Club. A graduate of Decatur High School, Taylor received his bachelor’s degree from Mississippi State University and is a graduate of the Louisiana State Uni versity School of Banking of the South. He has completed additional course work and seminars with the American Institute of Banking, American Bank ers Association National Commercial Lending School, American Bankers Association Funds Management School and Citizens & Southern Commercial Lending School. Taylor and his wife, the former Jo McMullan of Decatur, have three children and six grandchildren. Susan and her husband, Terry Miller, reside in

of captain. When asked who has influenced him the most, Taylor credits family and for mer teachers with providing a positive influence on his life and career. “My family, my teachers at Decatur High School and East Central Com munity College, and the other folks in Decatur where I was born and raised, all contributed to my wonderful life. I remember so well all the great times I had as a young person, living and grow ing up in Decatur. I learned to work hard and try different things. “I think college many times does not totally prepare one for life’s work. However, it makes you mature and learn how to live and get along with others, while providing a great environ ment to learn.” Although he claims to have been just an ‘everyday plain student’ who struggled to keep his B average, Taylor has fond memories of his days grow ing up in Decatur and attending East Central. “I was so impressed with the qual ity of the instructors and their ability to work with each and every student. I loved the camaraderie we all had as students together. I run into EC friends every week and we all have friendships and great memories of EC.” Taylor also began his time at East Central with Freshman Day initiation like all first-year men in those days. “I will never forget that all fresh man boys were initiated into EC with a shaved head, thanks to the upperclass men. It did grow back.” He also reminisced about the week before East Central played Scooba (East Mississippi Community College) in football each year and how students would take turns and beat the Warrior drum 24/7 until the game was played. Many East Central alumni also have favorite stories about their professors, especially those taught by legendary in structors like Ovid Vickers and Tommy Thrash. Taylor is no exception and shared the following accounts: “Since I was a local Decatur boy, we would ride our motorcycles through the campus, especially on summer days, never realizing we might be inter fering with class. During those days the windows of the classrooms were raised to help deal with the heat and the class rooms were right on the street. One day as we were cruising through campus, Mr. Vickers, trying to teach, stuck his head out a window and yelled at us for

alumni George Taylor of Forest, retired vice chairman of Community Bank of Mississippi, and Gina Hollingsworth Gordon, gifted education teacher with the Newton Municipal School District, were recognized as Alumnus and Alumna of the Year, respectively, Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018, during the col lege’s annual Homecoming activities. George Taylor (’67) When talking to people who know George Taylor, the attribute that seems to always come up in conversation is humble servant. Those who know him well say that when one has a prob lem or a need they only have to “call George.” But those same people are also quick to tell you that he usually won’t take credit for what he does. That is perhaps why it was no sur prise when asked how he felt about being named East Central Community College Alumnus of the Year, Taylor humbly said, “I think it’s a very great, undeserved honor.” Taylor, who has held various posi tions with Community Bank of Missis sippi, formerly Farmers and Merchants Bank, since 1975, recently served as vice chairman from 2009 until his retirement this past spring. He began his career as an assistant national bank examiner with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, a division of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, before taking a position with First Mississippi National Bank in Hattiesburg. He would serve in various roles from assistant cashier, to assis tant vice president and branch man ager, and finally vice president. Taylor relocated to Forest in 1975 when he took a position as senior vice president with what was then Famers and Merchants Bank. He held various other titles throughout the years in cluding executive vice president, chief operating officer, president of Farmers and Merchants Bank and Forest Ban corp, vice chairman and president of Forest Bancorp, and president of Com munity Operations. Taylor also served in the United States Air Force. He received under graduate pilot training at Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Okla., and was a pilot with the Mississippi Air National Guard at Key Field in Meridian. He re tired from active duty in 1975 after six years of service and reaching the rank

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