Michael Taggart ’53

Michael was born in Grand Rapids, Mich., and came to Princeton from the Park School and Belmont Hill. At Princeton he joined Elm Club and majored in English, writing his thesis on “An Introduction to Conrad’s Chance.” He played IAA football, basketball, and baseball in his sophomore, junior, and senior years.

After graduation, Michael began a teaching career at the high school level, but earned a Ph.D. in 1973 and taught English at the college level thereafter, for many years at Ventura College in Southern California.

A committed tennis player, Michael and his partner won the national senior doubles championship in 1993. He also provided scholarships for underprivileged kids to a local tennis camp and funded a Head Start program for Hispanic kids in the area. He was a collector of cars, boats, and motorcycles, helped establish a motorcycle museum in Ojai, Calif., and was said to have “loved everything that moves fast.”

Michael died July 27, 2019, at his summer home in Michigan. He is survived by his children, Rebecca and Michael; granddaughters Miranda and Ana; and his longtime partner, Hiroko Yoshimoto.