Allen M. Taylor ’46

Following Allen’s 1993 retirement as a managing partner in the Milwaukee law firm Foley & Lardner, he became chairman of the Chipstone Foundation, which supports American decorative arts especially of the Colonial period, including furniture, historic prints, and pottery. Instrumental in three major initiatives there,   he helped the foundation establish its permanent partnership with the Milwaukee Art Museum in 1993, then led Chipstone in expanding its publications to include journals in furniture and ceramics, and pioneered an academic program with the University of Wisconsin that brings together scholars in history, art, African studies, design, and literature.

Allen’s forward thinking and love of history also benefited several other organizations, including the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Boerner Botanical Gardens, Bradley Foundation, and Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, while the Milwaukee School of Engineering in 2002 awarded him an honorary degree for his community service.

Allen died Feb. 9, 2012, leaving his wife, the poet Marilyn L. Taylor; sons Allen M. Jr. and R. Reed; grandson Jared A.; brother Robert H.; and sisters Marian Antin and Nancy Gallagher. With his classmates, all miss (in the words of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) his “quick and delightful sense of humor and uniquely charming style of communication.”