Gary N. Taylor ’64

Gary died at home May 11, 2023, surrounded by his family. He grew up in Plainfield, N.J., and attended Wardlaw Country Day School there, where he was active in many organizations and played soccer, basketball, and baseball. As a senior he was named Plainfield’s “Youth of the Year.”

At Princeton, Gary majored in chemistry, ate at Dial, and worked at the student center all four years. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude. He earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in chemistry from Yale and did postdoctoral work at Caltech. 

Upon graduation he began a long and accomplished career as an organic chemist and materials scientist. He initially worked at AT&T Bell Labs in New Jersey for 25 years, where he focused on micro-lithography, the surface chemistry of computer chips; then moved on to Shipley/Rohm and Haas and to Penn State. He was lead author and contributor to numerous journal articles and patents, many of which defined processes and materials for computer chips to run smaller and faster.

Upon retirement he and Linda, who were married in the summer following our graduation, moved to Selbyville, Del. There he continued to contribute his scientific expertise as a technical adviser to the Delaware Center for the Inland Bays.

Gary was known to his family and friends as a kind, humble, and generous-spirited man, with a passion for science and nature.

The class conveys its condolences to Linda, their children, and families.