In Memoriam: Malcolm L. Taylor

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Malcolm Taylor was one of TAPPI's longest serving members, beginning a lifetime membership that started in 1942. Born in Louisville, Ky., he received B.S. and Ch.E. degrees from the University of Louisville in 1933 and a D.Eng. degree from Yale University in 1940. From 1937 to 1937, Taylor worked as part of the New Deal as a physical science aide and junior chemical engineer. He worked with the Chemical Engineering Department of the Tennessee Valley Authority where he helped maintain Wilson Dam in Northwest Alabama. From 1937 until 1939, he was an instructor of chemical engineering at Yale University.

Dr. Taylor's long and storied history with the paper industry began in 1939 when he began work with International Paper as assistant chief chemist. In 1941 he joined Union Camp where he was assistant superintendent of process engineering in the mill technical department and later became the technical director of manufacturing operations. In 1956, he was appointed to the position of corporate technical director at the company's Wayne and New York City offices. His contributions to the industry are noted by his progression through the ranks of one of the world's largest manufacturers of kraft paper and products.

In 1963, Dr. Taylor became a key player in the establishment of the industry's smelt-water research program that focused on causes and means of prevention of smelt-water explosions in the chemical recovery boiler furnaces used by the kraft pulping industry. He served as chairman of this group's Advisory Technical Committee and was chairman of it's successor committee, the Smelt-Water Technical Committee of the Fourdrinier Kraft Board Institute. Taylor was also a member of the board of directors of the American Society for Testing and Materials. His other notable memberships included the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the American Chemical Society, the Paper Shipping Sack Manufacturers' Association, the National Council of the Paper Industry for Air and Steam Improvement, and the American Paper Institute. 

Since joining in 1942, Dr. Taylor was involved in many TAPPI activities. He was a member of the Chemical Products Committee, the Alkaline Pulping Committee, and the Testing Committee. He was chairman of the Paper Shipping Sack Testing Committee from 1961 to 1969. He began serving on the TAPPI Standards Committee in 1965 and became chairman in 1969.

In 1971, Taylor was honored as a TAPPI Fellow. Though he retired from all industry work by the early 1980s, he maintained his membership with TAPPI for 30 more years. Through his work and contributions he will be remembered for showing a deep awareness of the important interface between the industry's technology and its commercial interests. His leadership and talent for clear and forceful expression greatly benefited both the Association and the industry.