Notable New Orleanians: A Tricentennial Tribute

was able to expand his own individual vision
into ongoing, sustainable programs to address
those problems.
Taylor’s ideas began to take tangible form in
the early 1980s, when he pledged to send 183
underprivileged and underachieving Middle
Schoolers—lovingly called “Taylor’s Kids”—to
college, provided they studied hard, kept up a
“B” average, and stayed out of trouble. This
promise to a group of inner city New Orleans
students was kept–and then some. What
became known as the “Taylor Plan” resulted in
an ambitious project to ensure that all
Louisiana schoolchildren had the opportunity
to work toward a higher education. What set
the plan apart was its structuring of rigorous
standards for academic performance, coupled
with the chance for students to qualify for
state-funded tuition programs allowing them
to attend university and/or community and
technical colleges. Uniquely, the plan stressed
graduation, rather than enrollment, and with
these strict guidelines and criteria for successful
completion in place, Taylor embarked on a
determined battle with the state legislature to
enact his vision into law. And he prevailed.
This signal achievement was known as the
Tuition Assistance Program of 1989. By 1997,
this had been expanded to include all students
regardless of income (a true merit-based program)
under the banner of the Tuition
Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS). By
the time of Taylor’s passing in 2004, what had
started out as an individual local commitment
had been enacted, with various modifications,
by over twenty additional states. In recognition
of Taylor’s dedication, the Louisiana legislature
renamed TOPS as the Taylor Opportunity
Program for Students.
Since 1985, the Patrick F. Taylor Foundation
has been carrying out and expanding Taylor’s
early and ongoing engagement with higher
education. Originally founded by Phyllis and
Patrick Taylor as the charitable arm of the
Taylor Energy Company, the Foundation has
continued the commitment in a myriad of
ways—from encouraging the enactment of
Taylor Plan programs in additional states across
the U.S.; through individual scholarship programs;
scholarships targeted to specific
schools; and financial assistance to historical
and cultural centers, as well as to law enforcement
and armed forces programs and other
worthy civic organizations.
One of the longtime core projects of the
Foundation has been the provision of individual
scholarships and grants to two-year and fouryear
Louisiana undergraduate institutions and
high school students who meet certain financial
and academic criteria. These scholarships are
administered directly by the Foundation.
Another category of scholarships involves
specific institutions of learning. These are typically
administered by the individual schools
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