Arthur R. Taylor

SALISBURY — Arthur R. Taylor, 80, former president of CBS Inc. and 10th President of Muhlenberg College died Dec. 3, 2015, with his loving wife, Kathryn, and his beloved daughter, Annie, by his side at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest in Allentown, Pa. 

A resident of Salisbury Township, Pa., and Salisbury, Conn., Taylor was born July 6, 1935, in Elizabeth, N.J. He was the son of the late Marion (Scott) and Arthur Earl Taylor. 

A native of Rahway, N.J., he graduated from Rahway High School and went on to earn a full scholarship and was a magna cum laude Phi Beta Kappa graduate from Brown University, where he also received his master’s degree and later served as a trustee. 

Taylor began his business career with the First Boston Corporation. He went on to become vice president of finance, executive vice president and a director of International Paper Company. Taylor was one of a group of young fast-rising executives known as the Whiz Kids, when at age 36 he was named president and a director of CBS Inc., where he was responsible for the operations of the entire company including the CBS Television Network, CBS News and the New York Yankees. 

Taylor was founding chairman and president of cable television’s Entertainment Channel (now the Arts and Entertainment Network — A&E). He was also the founding president of the formidable New York City Partnership with Chairman David Rockefeller. 

In 1985, Fordham University named him dean of the Graduate School of Business Administration and dean of the faculty of Business. In his seven years at Fordham, he transformed the young graduate school, which subsequently awarded him an honorary doctorate. Taylor then served as president of Muhlenberg College for a decade (1992–2002), during which time Muhlenberg tripled its endowment, halved its debt and saw a significant rise in admissions. Its prominence as a fine liberal arts college grew substantially. 

Taylor served on the boards of many corporations including Toshiba, Eastern Airlines, Pitney Bowes, the First Boston Corporation and The Travelers. 

In addition, he held government advisory positions on foreign policy under Presidents Nixon and Carter. 

He was a member of many philanthropic boards including New York Hospital, the Joffrey Ballet, the Kiski School, the American Assembly at Columbia University (chairman), and he was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. 

He received numerous awards and honorary doctorate degrees from Bucknell, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Simmons College, to name a few. Throughout his career and after retiring from Muhlenberg he continued mentoring young people. His students from Muhlenberg regularly sought his advice as did numerous people with whom he worked and lived. 

He and his wife, Kathryn, lived in Salisbury in the Old Bushnell Tavern, an historic home, which he truly loved. He was proud to live in Salisbury and served as a commissioner of the Historic District Commission. He was a founding member of the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation and the Friends of Washinee Park and was a trustee of the Salisbury School. 

He was incredibly proud of his family. His three daughters and their achievements were everything to him. His four grandchildren meant the world to him and they felt the same — not a day went by that he did not speak to at least one of his grandchildren. 

In addition to his family, he adopted hundreds of surrogate sons, daughters, nieces and nephews who depended on his love and guidance. He was known as “Uncle Arthur” to many. He loved people and was truly larger than life. 

He is survived by the love of his life, his wife Kathryn (Pelgrift) Taylor, from whom he never wanted to be apart; his daughters, Martha (Taylor) Josephson and her husband, Jon Carter, Anne (Taylor) Madden and her husband, Sean, and Sarah (Taylor) Rountree and her husband, John; his four beloved grandchildren, David Arthur Josephson, Zoe Taylor Josephson, John Taylor Madden and Brody McFarland Rountree; his sister, Marilyn (Taylor) Rocks; his brothers- and sisters-in-law, Robert Y. Pelgrift Jr. and his wife, Susan, Elizabeth P. Boak and her husband, Jeffrey, Anne P. Crawford and her husband, Gregory, James D. Pelgrift and his wife, Sara, Nancy P. Kocian and her husband, Matt, and Christopher Y. Pelgrift; 15 nieces and nephews for whom he cared greatly; and his dear friends the Scarpa family in Salisbury.

The family asks that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions be made to Lehigh Valley Health Network, which took such great and caring care of him for many years (Lehigh Valley Health Network-Development Department, 2100 Mack Blvd., 6th Floor, Allentown, PA 18105);  The Kiski School, where Arthur was a trustee and deeply involved in mentoring the young students (The Kiski School,  Advancement Office,1888 Brett Lane, Saltsburg, PA 15681); or the Friends of Washinee Park, a project of deep interest to him (Friends of Washinee Park, c/o The Salisbury Association, PO Box 553, Salisbury, CT 06068). 

 A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 18, at the First Presbyterian Church  in Allentown. 

Arrangements are under the care of the J.S. Burkholder Funeral Home, www.jsburkholder.com. 

A second memorial service in Salisbury will be held at a later date.