Lyn Taylor Obituary

Lyn Taylor attended Metuchen High School in Metuchen, NJ. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about Lyn Taylor.

Graduation Year	Class of 1966
Date of Passing	Feb 01, 2007
About	Associate Professor Lyn Taylor of UCDHSC education and human development died from complications of a brain tumor on Feb. 1 at Porter Hospice in Centennial. She was 58. Dr. Taylor was born on Oct. 1, 1948, in Jersey City, N.J., the daughter of Sylvia Taylor and Fred Taylor Sr. She married Mark Pogrebin, who is a professor in the UCDHSC Graduate School of Public Affairs, in 1999 in Colorado. She graduated from Matuchen High School in New Jersey, and earned a B.A. in mathematics education from Rider College in New Jersey in 1970. She received her M.A. in mathematics education in 1982 and a Ph.D. in mathematics/adult education in 1988, both from the University of New Mexico. She was a public school mathematics teacher in New Jersey, North Carolina and Ohio from 1970-80. While studying at UNM from 1982-87, she was a research assistant, teaching assistant and graduate assistant in the College of Education and an instructor in women's studies. She also was a mathematics instructor at Albuquerque Technical-Vocational Institute's College Division ( 1986-87 ). Dr. Taylor joined the UCD faculty as an assistant professor in the School of Education in 1987 and was promoted to associate professor in 1994. Her areas of specialization were middle school and elementary school mathematics education, mathematical attitude development, multiculturalism and gender, and integrating mathematics and Vygotskian frameworks for examining mathematical life histories. She was very active in the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and was a former president ( 1989-91 ), secretary ( 1986-87 ) and board member of Women and Mathematics Education. She was an invited speaker at numerous national meetings of those associations and others. Dr. Taylor did a tremendous number of life histories of math teachers, interviewing them about their decisions to become teachers. She worked with student teachers in the schools and also did a lot of work with senior teachers of mathematics. She studied the phenomenon of math anxiety, working especially with women to help them overcome that anxiety. She received the Elizabeth Gee Memorial Award at CU in 2000, for her significant scholarship, distinguished teaching and advancement of women in the academic community. She also received the CU-Denver Outstanding Researcher Award and was named Outstanding Researcher in the UCD School of Education in 1997, and received the UCD Curriculum and Pedagogy Outstanding Service Award in 1994, and the School of Education Award for Recognition by AACTE for Advancing Gender Equity and Awareness in 1994, among others. Dr. Taylor was the editor of Building Math Confidence in ABE Students ( 1986 ) and the author of numerous book chapters. She also was the author or co-author of dozens of journal articles and other works, including "Mathematical Attitude Development from a Vygotskian Perspective" in Mathematics Education Research Journal ( 1992 ) and "An Elementary Teacher's Mathematical Life History" in Focus on Learning Problems in Mathematics ( 1996 ). She served on the editorial board of the Encyclopedia of Mathematics Education ( 1997-2001 ) and was guest editor for a highly acclaimed special triple issue of "Gender and Mathematics: Multiple Voices" in Focus on Learning Problems in Mathematics ( 1996 ). She also was a member of the International Organization of Women and Mathematics Education, International Study Group on Ethnomathematics, and Psychology and Mathematics Education. Her work was supported by grants from the Exxon Educational Foundation, National Science Foundation, and National Center for Research in Mathematical Sciences Education. At the university, Dr. Taylor served on the CU-Denver Women's Committee, the Retention, Tenure and Promotion Review Committee and a number of School of Education committees, including diversity, curriculum, retreat planning, student appeals and celebration committees. Her personal interests included skiing, tennis and travel. She was known as a very optimistic person who loved life, and she fought her illness very hard for 10 years, her husband said. "Her first love was teaching and doing research in math education for teachers," he added. Charlene Morrow of Mount Holyoke College spoke at the memorial service for Dr. Taylor. "Lyn related to everyone in a very holistic way," Morrow said. "Some people might have thought she was a bit intrusive, but truly she wanted to know all aspects of a person's life and how they fit together. When she traveled, she considered her trip extra successful if she was invited to the home of a colleague. This interest enriched her work in gathering mathematical biographies and showing how mathematics was embedded in a person's life." Dr. Taylor "saw math in everything," Morrow added, and was especially dedicated to motivating her students. Other colleagues commented about her ability to persevere, her generosity with both her time and what she could share with others, her frank and insightful way of interviewing women about math, and her ability to bring people together and inspire students and colleagues "with endless enthusiasm." Dr. Taylor is survived by her husband of Denver; a brother, Fred Taylor Jr., of Edison, N.J.; two sisters, Irene Kawanabe and June Taylor; and a stepdaughter, Amy Pogrebin, and a granddaughter, Elyza Berry, both of Boulder. A memorial service was held at All Saints Episcopal Church in Denver.