John Taylor Jr., 71, journalist

John Harvey Taylor Jr. was the type of person who would volunteer for an experimental therapy for lung cancer because the results could potentially help others.

A lifelong journalist, community leader, and education advocate, Mr. Taylor, 71, of Wilmington, died Saturday, April 4, at his home after a three-year battle with lung cancer.

He worked at the Wilmington News Journal from 1966 to 2005, with only a two-year break, serving as an obituary writer, education reporter, and metropolitan editor. His last role was editorial page editor.

Mr. Taylor took on some of the toughest issues of the time, regardless of the political climate.

He advocated for desegregation in his personal column at a time when "it wasn't something you spoke out about," said Ron Williams, former assistant editorial page editor at the News Journal.

"He made a lot of enemies and got a lot of allies for his efforts," Williams added.

After the state desegregated its schools, Mr. Taylor continued to advocate for improving them and to hold public officials accountable.

Ralph Begleiter, a former journalist and professor at the University of Delaware, said Mr. Taylor's work at the News Journal "is what I would characterize as the best kind of public service mission."

Under his editorial leadership, Begleiter said, government officials in Delaware knew that they would be held accountable by journalists for their actions in office.

Mr. Taylor left the News Journal to serve as executive director of the Delaware Public Policy Institute, a think tank. He was also a leader of Vision 2015 - a public-private partnership that created a plan for education reform used to guide policy change in the state.

Mr. Taylor also served as senior vice president of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce, and on the board of directors of groups including Delaware Community Foundation, Ministry of Caring, and the Stroud Water Research Center.

The thread that ties his many roles together was a devotion to his community and his state. John Sweeney, Mr. Taylor's successor as editorial page editor at the News Journal, said he had a "great concern for Delaware. . . . He cared a lot about the state, the city, and its people."

Mr. Taylor also had a funny side, and would take his critiques on the stage as one of the founders of and sometimes performer at Delaware's Grid Iron, an annual political roast and fund-raising dinner.

He also loved musical theater. Mr. Taylor and Sweeney, along with their partners, would go to the theater together. Gilbert and Sullivan was his favorite.

He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Maria; daughters Moira, Jennifer Taylor Berry, and Kathryn Taylor Allen; son John H. III; and six grandchildren.

A memorial service will be at 10:30 a.m. Sunday at the Cab Calloway School of the Arts, 100 N. Dupont Rd., Wilmington.