Marilyn Rose (Matthews)

I don't know if this is the George Taylor from Bolton, but if it is I remember him as a shy boy that was mercilessly picked on by several of the meaner boys in Bolton and shunned by about everyone else.. He was small and quiet and never deserved this awful treatment and I will always regret not making more of an effort to befriend him and defend him... I believe he was emotionally crushed by the way he was treated in Bolton Elementary School to a criminal degree and wish with all my heart I had done something more... sorry George.. I did notice and I did care...

Linda Johnson (Bass)

Don't we all have those memories and regrets....and not simply for George but others.

Sue Crosby (Anderson)

It's been a long time for me but I do remember George and how people kind of made fun of him and of what he said in class. I am sorry to know about this, too. All this catching up on obits from our class really makes us meow aware than ever of our mortality. I appreciate how our website keeps us informed and up to date. Sue

Anita Wallace (Hull)

I remember George---always quiet, always by himself.  I regret not making more of an effort to make him know that he mattered too. You are in a better place now George.

Anita Wallace Hull

Elinor Minnick (Sanford)

I remember the first day of freshman year, I was nearly 6ft tall and the size of our class was 800+.  The size of the school was daunting.  I remember going the 'wrong' way around the quarter mile square, going from Mr. Leahey's Latin class to Gym class.  The corridor was crowded.  I had an arm full of books/flute, etc.  l knew I would be late. Well, I took off and got into the passing mode, and I thought the coast was clear.  But no, I crashed into George Taylor. My books went flying.  George went down.  It was a miracle that I didn't land on some part of him,  I picked him up and dusted him off, and explained that I truly hadn't seen him.  And wasn't he young for High School??  I'm sure none of that made him feel better about life. After that  we said 'Hi' when we were between classes.  I remember when Mr Vader told us that he had died.  I have always felt that some of his discouragement must have been my doing.  Teenagers have trouble thinking beyond their own hair/complexion/height/clothes, etc.  Add to that the whole school scene.  George was'nt from my neighborhood.  All excuses.  I wish I had been a better friend, worded things differently.  Had a clue.  It doesn't take much to make a real difference.

Robert Allison

Yes, George Taylor was a Bolton kid. Georgie (as he was known in our Bolton Elementary days) was probably my best school friend in those days. We both began playing clarinet the year I moved to Bolton, in 3^rd grade, taking lessons from Mrs. Allen. (Remember her?) He was a better musician than I was, was more diligent than I was. We sometimes practised together at his house. He had a bright, cheerful personality, loved pranks and was always smiling. So it was in those days. After we started at MHS, I didn’t see him so frequently, as our class schedules were very different and our paths simply didn’t cross much, but our friendship continued because I did see him regularly in band and/or orchestra. (My memory is a bit blurry here – I think we both played in both band and orchestra.) With me, he continued to be the same cheerful kid I had known since 3^rd grade. Although I did know he was teased because of his size, I was not aware of the depth of humiliation he was facing outside of our musical circles. I guess that, for him, music was an escape where he found friendship, respect for his musical talent and freedom from the dark side of life that he was facing elsewhere. So he didn’t talk about those issues then, but simply lived in the moment when we were making music together. So I was taken totally by surprise on that day when we read of his suicide in the Manchester Evening Herald. It was a moment I will never forget. While I remember today mostly the many happy musical hours we shared, I want to echo the comments of others about the problems of bullying and harassment in our schools. It is all the more important to be aware and mindful of these problems when they occur, because the victims of that harassment themselves don’t want to talk about it, even with their best friends, maybe especially with their best friends.