Lt. Gen. H.G. "Pete" Taylor, U.S. Army Retired

When a soldier, even a general, is ordered to a duty station, it may or may not be where he wants to go.

The impact he will have on both the military and civilian communities is often impossible to predict.

No one can pretend to know what Lt. Gen. H.G. “Pete” Taylor’s thinking was when he was assigned as III Corps and Fort Hood commander in 1991, but certainly for Fort Hood and all of Central Texas it was a most fortuitous circumstance because his impact has been inspiring.

As it turns out perhaps the pivotal thing to come out of his Fort Hood tour was the decision he and his wife made to live in Central Texas after his Army career ended.

Today we know that decision allowed him to make a major contribution to the quality of life in Central Texas. It is a contribution which will profoundly impact generations of Central Texans — both civilian and military — well into the next century.

That contribution — his leadership in the struggle to gain an upper-level state-supported university for Killeen and Central Texas — resulted in his nomination for the 1999 Frank W. Mayborn Humanitarian Award and his being honored here today.

Taylor’s responsibility as a commander of one of the world’s largest Army posts had to have helped him put into perspective the importance of higher education, not only for his soldiers, but for the community at large.

Taylor himself holds a bachelor’s degree from Middle Tennessee State University and a master’s from Kansas State University.

His tour of duty at Fort Hood set the course he was to travel later as a civilian.

While at Fort Hood, Taylor initiated Fort Hood 2000, a cooperative effort between the Army at Fort Hood and seven local independent school districts. This included work with the Adopt-a-School Program, D.A.R.E., Teacher Certification Program, Camp 2000, Parental Involvement and Computers to Schools program.

Local educators took note when the Central Texas Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa gave him their Friend of Education Award.

Dr. Charles Patterson, superintendent of the Killeen Independent School District wrote to Taylor at the time of the 1993 award: “You have not only invested your time and resources to the school projects, but have also given your heart.

So it was that after the general put down permanent roots in Texas that he invested his heart once again in a project linked to education in Central Texas. He became involved in the push for a state-supported bachelor’s and master’s degree-granting university for Central Texas.

He chaired the Central Texas State University Task Force which led the drive to convince the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to approve an upper-level state school for Killeen and Central Texas.

The final result is that just two months ago Tarleton State University, a part of the Texas A&M University System, opened its Tarleton State University System Center — Central Texas. It takes the place of the University of Central Texas, a private university.

Today students -- soldiers and civilian alike -- may take their last two years of undergraduate work and even pursue graduate degrees here in Central Texas at a state-supported university. A very real possibility exists that the center will become a free-standing university under the Texas A&M University System if enrollments increase as projected.

The military has stressed the need for more educational opportunities for its soldiers and local civilian residents have wanted to have the opportunity to pursue their undergraduate and graduate educational needs without having to take to the highways.

Thanks in large part to the work of Taylor that dream has become a reality.

During a celebration at the Expo Center in June, State Sen. Troy Fraser, R-Horseshoe Bay, was recorded in the Killeen Daily Herald as saying, “If I was in battle, I would want to make sure I’m on the same side as Taylor. I wouldn’t want to oppose him. His grit and determination on this project have been truly amazing.”

In speaking of the work of the task force which Taylor headed, Jeanne Isdale in her letter of nomination wrote, “The final work on this project was the most intense and occurred in 1998.

“A mere listing of the sequence of major meetings involved cannot begin to tell the story of the work involved in this project: the numerous phone conversations, informal meetings, correspondence and personal contacts that were necessary. Gen. Taylor took a lion’s share of these responsibilities himself.

Taylor, who entered the Army in 1960 and retired 33 years later after completing his tour as III Corps and Fort Hood commander, served two tours of duty in Vietnam, both with the 1st Cavalry Division.

After Vietnam, he served in various posts including Fort Stewart, Ga., where among other things he was the commanding general of the 24th Infantry Division. At Fort Irwin, Calif., Taylor was commanding general of the National Training Center. Just prior to assignment at Fort Hood he was Deputy Commander in Chief/Chief of Staff, Forces Command, Fort McPherson, Ga.

Today, he is vice chairman of Heights State Bank. He also serves as a Killeen Independent School District trustee.

He was the first chairman of the Bell County Coalition for Family Involvement and is one of those involved in setting up a new national organization, The Military Child Education Coalition, that will help military students in their transition from school to school.

Taylor is married to the former Mary Jane Louwenaar. They have three children and six grandchildren.

- - from award program Wednesday, November 10, 1999