Reverend Jerry Taylor was born in Kingsport, Tennessee in 1940. He was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy at age one. His parents were told that he would probably never talk or walk and would be mentally “retarded”, but they never gave up.

 

They found a school in Florida where Jerry and his mother attended for three months of intensive evaluation and therapy. They were told by the staff to enroll him in a public school and encourage him to do anything he wanted to do.

 

The family moved to Augusta in 1952. When Jerry finished 8th grade, he was told that he would never be able to finish high school simply because no one with his disability had ever done so.

 

Once again, Jerry defied the experts and graduated from Richmond Academy in 1960. That same year, he had two brain surgeries and, while recuperating, he attended the Augusta Training Shop for the handicapped. While there, he saw the need for a structural, recreational, and social outlet for the disabled in Augusta.

 

Jerry taught himself to bowl.  He believed that a bowling league for the disabled would provide an inspiring outlet. Bill Kircheim, Jr., the manager of the Masters Bowling Lanes in Augusta, assisted Jerry in creating the first Exceptional Bowling League in the United States. This led to a job for Jerry at the Masters Bowling Lanes. He worked there until he decided to go to college.

 

 Jerry received his B.A. degree in 1974 from Mount Vernon College in Mr. Vernon, Ohio.  Jerry not only received a top-notch education – he also learned to drive.  He continued his education at the seminary of Methodist Theological School in Delaware, Ohio.  By 1978, he had earned two Masters degrees.

 

In 1978, Jerry moved back to Augusta as a lay pastor at Trinity-on -the- Hill United Methodist Church and began his ministry to the handicapped .

 

In 1982, a city-wide ministry for handicapped citizens culminated with the formation of the Community Outreach Program for the Handicapped, Inc., of which Jerry was the director. He devoted the rest of his life to the development of community outreach programs which served over four hundred disabled individuals and their families. Jerry also served on many boards, including the Board of Directors of the Augusta Training Shop for the Handicapped and the Mayors Committee on Employing the Handicapped.

 

Realizing his life-long dream of becoming a minister, Jerry was ordained in June 1984. He was an active member of the Northeast Presbytery, Presbyterian Church, USA. In 1998, he was a minister delegate to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church.

 

He also served as Vice President, President and Chaplain of AMBUCS. 

 

Jerry was seventy-two when he died on December 14, 2012. He is survived by his wife, Louise S. Taylor.