Dean Taylor
Jeffrey Dean Taylor Jr (born c. 1980; died March 19, 2016 in Jefferson County) was vice president of marketing and sales for Webb Payroll and a member of the Jefferson County Board of Education.
Dean, the son of Jeffrey and Sherry Taylor, graduated from Gardendale High School in 1999. He enrolled at Bevill State Community College, but left to enlist with the U.S. Air Force in May 2001. He was assigned to management roles as a munitions specialist in Florida and Nevada, and spent a year stationed at Pusan Air Base in South Korea. After his discharge in 2007, Taylor returned home to Morris and took a job with his mother's payroll company, helping increase its customer base from 140 to over 500 clients.
Taylor, who was active in the Gardendale Rotary Club and the Young Republican Federation of Alabama, applied for an appointment to the seat left open by the retirement of Ronald Rhodes from the Jefferson County Board of Education in November 2013, but was passed over in favor of Martha Bouyer. He ran unopposed for the seat formerly held by Tommy Little in the 2014.
Taylor was sworn in on November 11 and unanimously elected president of the board at his first meeting. During his tenure, Taylor made a habit of visiting every school and having lunch with students. He called for the creation of a citizen oversight panel that recommended $10 million in cost-saving measures to help protect 300 jobs in the system.
Taylor died in a single-car accident in March 2016. His Chevrolet Tahoe ran off of Mount Olive Road near the Frank Hewitt Bridge over the Locust Fork River north of Mount Olive. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Taylor was survived by his mother, Sherry Webb and his son, Bronson. He is buried at Oakwood Memorial Gardens in Gardendale.
References
- Montgomery, Ben (November 10, 2010) "Person You Should Know — Dean Taylor." North Jefferson News
- Patterson, Melanie (November 20, 2014) "Dean Taylor receives president's gavel during first day on school board." North Jefferson News
- Edgemon, Erin (March 19, 2016) "JeffCo Board of Education member Dean Taylor dies in crash." The Birmingham News
- "Obituary: Dean Taylor" (March 21, 2016) North Jefferson News