Mary Emily Badgett Taylor

Ms. Mary Emily Badgett Taylor, 79, of Mount Airy, passed away Monday, September 7, 2009, at Forsyth Medical Center in Winston-Salem. Ms. Taylor was born August 5, 1930, in Surry County, to James Bryan and Ada Florence Gordon Badgett. Ms. Taylor attended UNCG, graduated from High Point College with a BA in English and History, and worked on her master's degree in secondary education at UNC Chapel Hill. She retired from teaching after a 36-year career, most of those years at Mount Airy High School where she also coached the first boys and girls tennis teams in 1971. She served six years as Commissioner-At-Large on the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners, the first female to ever serve. Ms. Taylor was the first female mayor of the city of Mount Airy after being elected in November of 1993 and served until 2001. She was a member of First Presbyterian Church, where she served as a deacon and elder. She was former president of the Mount Airy Chapter of NCAE and also held offices on local and district NCAE Boards, was former president of the Classroom Teachers Association, in which she served a four year term on the State Textbook Commission, she served on the State Professional Review Committee, on the Surry Community College Foundation Board, served as chairman and president of American Cancer Society for the Surry County unit, was a member of the Juvenile Justice Task Force of Surry County, president of the Surry County Democratic Women, was president of the Mount Airy Chapter of the Altrusa Club, she formed and was the first president of the Mount Airy Appearance Committee, she coordinated Mount Airy Senior High Athletic Day for the city of Mount Airy, she was involved with the coordination of the ninth grade Economics and Government Classes, served three years as Board Member and was former President of the North Carolina Women in Municipal Government, and served as first Vice-Chairman of the State League Commission of the North Carolina Department of Transportation, Communication and Public Safety and was a active member of Rotary. Surviving are a son and daughter-in-law, James Bryan Taylor and Lynn Tate Taylor of Wilmington; grandchildren, Tate Wilkerson Taylor, Lauren Elizabeth Taylor, and James Bryan Taylor, Jr.; brothers and a sister-in-law, Richard and Lou Badgett of Winston-Salem and Frank Badgett of Pilot Mountain. A service of celebration and remembrance of Ms. Taylor will be held at 4:00 PM Saturday, September 12, 2009, at First Presbyterian Church, with Dr. Steve Lindsley officiating. The family will receive friends Saturday at the church from 3:00 PM until the hour of the service. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to First Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 1286, Mount Airy, NC 27030.