Dr. Wayne Taylor, Jr. Obituary

Dr. Wayne Taylor, Jr. was faculty at Aragon High School in San Mateo, CA. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about Dr. Wayne Taylor, Jr..

School Role	Faculty
Date of Passing	Nov 13, 2005
About	"Wayne Taylor passed away peacefully on November 13, 2005 at the age of 72 surrounded by his family after a long courageous battle with cancer. He was born in Humboldt, Nebraska, attended high school in Lincoln where he had an outstanding athletic career with All State honors in football, basketball, and baseball. He joined the Coast Guard in 1952 and was based in Hawaii where he met his future wife Barbara Harrington. They were married for over 51 years. After leaving the Service, he attended San Francisco State getting his teaching credentials and taught in the San Mateo Union High School District for 33 years where he coached football, gymnastics, and B basketball."
Events	Here's the link to Dr. Taylor's complete obituary: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/eastbaytimes/name/wayne-taylor-obituary?id=26259396

Classmate Memories

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David Shoaf '65 posted a photo:

In Memory of Coach Wayne Taylor

Growing up, while other boys played baseball and football, I spent my time with my sister. I wasn’t athletic—couldn't catch or hit a ball, and I struggled with basic exercises. This made me a target for bullies, and by the time I reached Aragon High School in 1960, I felt lost in sports.

That changed when I decided to try out for wrestling, though it didn’t go well. One day, a close friend invited me to watch his gymnastics practice. Seeing him on the equipment sparked something in me. Coach Wayne Taylor was there, and when I asked if I could try, he told me, “If you join the team, you can.” So I did.

Coach Taylor gave me a pamphlet for a summer gymnastics camp, and even though I could barely do a pull-up, I signed up. Surrounded by boys who could do double backflips, I left with nothing more than sore muscles, but I was inspired. I went home and built my own high bar and ring set in my backyard. That effort alone—mixing concrete and constructing equipment—helped me build the strength to do a straight-arm press to a handstand.

High school, from that point on, revolved around two things: gymnastics and my girlfriend, Lori Benson. Gymnastics became my passion, and Coach Taylor became my guide. He spent countless hours helping me overcome my fears and weaknesses, pushing me to do things I never thought possible—like a double flyaway from the high bar in practice, under his careful eye. One time, in a meet with Hillsdale High, I performed a flyaway in competition for the first and only time, earning second place.

Coach Taylor wasn’t just a coach—he was like a father to me. He gave me strength, confidence, and the belief that I could overcome anything. Gymnastics was a unique sport, where we only faced our own fears, and everyone supported one another, regardless of the team. Thanks to him, I was never bullied again.

In my senior year, after a summer in the Naval Reserve, I was elected captain of the gymnastics team. That year also brought heartache, as Lori and I broke up, making graduation bittersweet.

After high school, I served three years on active duty in the Navy. When I returned home in 1969, the first person I wanted to see was Coach Taylor. But he had changed. The Vietnam War had transformed our culture, and the school now struggled with drugs on campus. Teaching no longer brought him the same joy. It was a hard moment for me, realizing the world had changed, and with it, the man I had looked up to for years.

I never got a photo of us together, but I will always carry the memories of the hours spent in that gym with Coach Taylor. He was my hero, my mentor, and my friend. He shaped my life in ways I can never fully express. - David Shoaf class of 1965.

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