Posted on 02/25/2020
Charles 'Chuck' Taylor passed away peacefully on Saturday (2/22/2020) with his family at his side. He was a resident of the Palos Verdes Peninsula for over sixty years. Chuck was born in St. Thomas when his father was a commander in the Navy. The family moved to the Philippines, and later moved to Long Beach where Chuck attended Lowell Elementary School, Will Rogers Junior High School in 1946 and Woodrow Wilson High School in 1949. Chuck graduated from the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1954 and was commissioned in the United States Air Force. He and his wife, Anne Mason, were stationed in England where Chuck was assigned the job of overseeing the conversion of RAF airfields to B-48 and B-52 operations. During this assignment, his design changes saved our government many hundreds of thousands of dollars and earned him the highest commendations from his commanding officer. In 1970, he founded Tayco Engineering, Inc. in Long Beach, California. Tayco developed 44 parts used in the Viking Space Craft that tested soil samples on Mars. JPL purchased 1,562 parts for the Rover Explorer which also deployed to Mars. Virtually every satellite flying in the free world today depends on products developed by Tayco Engineering. In the aftermath of the tragic Challenger Space Shuttle disaster in 1986, Tayco was selected to develop a flexible heater to encircle the O-ring joints of the solid rocket booster. The heater prevents the seal from failing in freezing pre-launch conditions, thus eliminating the O-ring problems that caused the blow-up. One of Tayco's most dramatic achievements was the development of a highly unique welding process involving extremely fine platinum wire that was used successfully by the House Ear Institute in the cochlear ear implantation device. This device is now used worldwide. Doctors from around the world come to the House Institute to learn the cochlear procedure so that thousands of hearing impaired can hear for the first time. Tayco Engineering has been honored for an innovative design that solved the problem of transferring inert gas from the space shuttle to the space station. They resolved the problem of icing on the aircraft wings which before it was corrected, could cause severe damage and fatal plane accidents. Chuck Taylor received an Honorary Doctorate Degree from Pepperdine University and was honored as guest speaker on Doctor Robert Schuller's Crystal Cathedral 'Hour of Power'. Chuck and his wife, Anne, have been married for 64 years and are the parents of three children: Brent Taylor, Sheri Anne Nikolakopulos, and Lisa Taylor. They are grandparents to two grandsons: Alexis and Theo Nikolakopulos. All three children and both grandsons are active in various positions in the family owned Tayco Engineering, Inc. Chuck and Anne became great-grandparents recently to Stella Danielle Nikolakopulos. Chuck Taylor has proven himself to be a loving family man, protective father, and a far-sighted engineer of the highest quality, and entrepreneur for the manufacture of many of his designs. He is a humanitarian due to his inventions, which not only save lives but also adds to the quality of life for those who cannot hear. He will be truly missed. Upcoming Events Funeral Ceremony Feb 29. 9:00 AM (PST) Green Hills Memorial Chapel 27501 S Western Ave. Rancho Palos Verde, CA, 90275.
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