Thomas Happer “Tom” Taylor drew his last breath at 5:14pm, October 1, 2017 at the Veterans Medical Center, San Francisco, CA. At his side was his wife of 49 years, Pamela Borgfeldt Taylor. Also, in attendance were his godson, Christopher Brown, and other close friends.
Tom had a military heritage. He was born at Fort Leavenworth, KS to Lydia Happer and Maxwell Davenport Taylor on December 11, 1934. His father was to become a decorated Army general, then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. After retiring, Maxwell Taylor went on to become the first president of the Lincoln Center of the Performing Arts and U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam. This was a challenging precedent for young Tom, who also served his country well and lived a long life full of intellectual, physical and social accomplishments.
His early years were spent in Tokyo, where his first language was Japanese. The family had returned to the United States by the time Pearl Harbor was bombed and the outbreak of World War II. Young Tom proudly tracked his father’s leadership of the war effort in Europe and North Africa. He completed middle school at West Point while his father was Superintendent of the Military Academy. Tom started high school in Berlin, where his father was commander of allied troops. But the Cold War was heating up, and Tom completed high school at St. Albans School in Washington, DC.
Tom graduated from West Point with a degree in engineering in 1960. He joined the 24th Infantry Division, underwent paratrooper training, then Army Ranger training. He was on his way to the Vietnam War front in 1965 when engine trouble caused an extended stay in Oahu. It was on this Hawaiian Island that he met his future wife. Pamela was a Pan American World Airways flight attendant. Thus, began a romance that spanned the globe.
It was the First Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division that welcomed Tom to the challenges of leadership in the conflict with both the North Vietnamese regulars and the Viet Cong guerrillas. Distinguished service in combat earned him a Silver Star and two Bronze Stars. His tour was ended when he was wounded and earned the Purple Heart. While still in the Army, he began work on his first book, A-18 (1967). It was a tale of an unassuming hero, and that theme was expressed in many of his subsequent literary efforts.
Tom was always proud of his active-duty service. It had tested his resolve and broadened his world views, but he was ready to forge another path. In 1968, Tom enrolled at U.C. Berkeley to earn a master’s in sociology. The fervor of Berkeley’s anti-war sentiment was a shock: Tom was branded a war criminal. With North Vietnamese flags far out-numbering the Stars and Stripes, he felt that “he was facing the Viet-Cong on a second front.” He was not, however, out-of-step with Cal’s liberal ethos. And…this was also the time for his romance with Pamela to come to fruition. They were married by year’s end.
Pamela and Tom both loved the Bay Area and Tom’s literary capabilities flourished. He wrote “A Piece of This Country,” which was the story of a black sergeant who found in Vietnam the respect he could not earn at home. He won Cal’s George E. Cruthers Literary Prize. His book Born of War gained Hollywood attention. He completed both a master’s in sociology and a law degree. He was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1978. He accepted a position in Saudi Arabia with Bechtel.
With Tom in the Middle East and Pamela flying out of London, they managed to connect in exotic locales around the world. They returned to Berkeley in 1981. He wrote five books in the next 20 years and was historian for the 101st Airborne Division. He also continued his love of triathlons. He completed one of the first Ironman Triathlons—notably, he finally found a pastime that offered a true challenge: He won several national championships for his age group, his last at 75 years of age.
Tom’s was a life lived to the fullest as soldier, author and athlete. He was known to family and friends as a lifelong lover of the outdoors and an adventurer, voracious reader, and good listener with an engaging sense of humor. He not only had an abiding love of classical music and opera, but Tom also became a devoted fan of the San Francisco 49ers and the Golden State Warriors.
Tom and Pamela spent the last 12 years in Inverness, CA, 40 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge on the coast. Tom loved the ocean and often would swim in the Pacific, calling it “six-minute water.”
Tom and Pamela did not have children, but they inspired many as godparents and mentors. They were very involved with their beloved niece Shelby Galvin Travers and her family, especially Liam Taylor Travers. They inspired and were mentors to their nephew Nicholas Borgfeldt and their godson, Christopher Brown.
Thomas Happer Taylor will be remembered and celebrated by all the lives he graced with wit and wisdom.
— Christopher Brown, godson, Pamela Taylor and friends