A fundraising concert will be held Saturday, Feb. 27 at the Empty Keg in Edinboro. The music will get underway at 6 p.m. with four different bands scheduled to perform. Donations will go toward the Dr. Frank Taylor Scholarship Fund, which was set up after his death last summer.
The bands scheduled to perform can all be classified as rock and roll but will offer a wide variety of music styles including jam-band, acoustic rock and classic rock. Also expected to play are Mike and Pat McCleary, friends and former band mates of Taylor.
A benefit concert seems fitting for a man who was active in rock and roll bands for 25 years. The flyers advertising the event sport a photo of Taylor and a guitar, complete with bell-bottoms and ‘70s hair-do.
Taylor was chair of the sociology department from 2002 until his death in June of 2009.
Taylor helped to transform the sociology program at Edinboro, increasing the number of sociology majors from 17 in 2002 to 100 in 2009.
Taylor influenced many within the sociology department, especially sociology professor Samuel Claster, who was one of those 17 sociology majors in 2002.
“Under Dr. Taylor’s leadership, the hard work of the sociology faculty has yielded a very strong department that has substantially grown in its service to sociology majors as well as many other University programs,” said Claster. He went on to say Frank was “passionate about the need for social change and social justice in the world.”
This sentiment is also expressed in the memorial tree that has been planted in his honor near the new human services building overlooking Mallory Lake. His plaque identifies him as an “Oak of Righteousness” for his lifelong commitment to social justice.
Taylor was also nominated for Educator of the Year and was one of three finalists for the award. Taylor was an important part of Claster’s time as a student at Edinboro, both as a friend and mentor.
“Frank’s greatest influence on me has been to model effective pedagogy, to bring the social world alive and connect it to the lives of students,” said Claster.
This is the tradition that all the current professors in the sociology department wish to continue.
Taylor has also affected many current students at Edinboro as well. Stephanie Winters, a senior sociology major, commented on the importance of letting future generations of students know how important Taylor was to the university.
“Although Dr. Taylor is not with us anymore we trust that his legacy will live on through the Frank Taylor Scholarship,” said Winters. “I know that Dr. Taylor has had a profound influence on sociology majors like me and I hope that future students can appreciate his contributions to the university.”
Proceeds from the event will go to the Dr. Frank Taylor Scholarship Fund and organizers will be taking donations at the door. Checks to the Dr. Frank Taylor Memorial Scholarship Fund should be made out to the Edinboro University Foundation.
According to Claster, the scholarship will be awarded in the next academic term to a sociology major that “displays a commitment to the promise of sociology as well as a willingness to work toward social justice.”
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