Memorial services for former TMJ4 presenter Bill Taylor

MILWAUKEE — Knowledge is power, community is strength and a positive attitude is everything. That simple statement sums up exactly who Bill Taylor was as a man, journalist and father.

Kwao Taylor is extremely proud of his father’s legacy. “He did it his way, coining the show and the phrase ‘Positively Milwaukee,’ so doing something positive today. You know, that in and of itself was a twist on the news that I had never seen before as a kid. There’s a lot of, you know, just the realities of this world that the news has to portray and portray, and my dad decided to go a different route,” he said.

Bill Taylor worked at TMJ4 for 29 years, was inducted into the Silver Circle by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for his long service, and was also inducted into the Milwaukee Press Club. His work as a journalist was important, but his family was always his top priority.

National Academy of Arts and Sciences, Chicago/Midwest Chapter

“The most memorable things that have stuck in my mind are nothing that happened on the set, nothing that happened in other countries, nothing that even happened on Juneteenth Day or any of his ceremonies or events where he may have been an emcee. It’s Bill Taylor, the father, the family man, the husband that I’ve been married to my mother for 56 years,” Taylor said.

His daughter Danae Davis is the eldest of his six children.

“Well, my fondest memories are that this young man, you know, loved my mom so much that he agreed to let all three of us come along as part of the package. You felt real proud when you were standing right next to him. He was a storyteller, man, Dad could tell some stories, so you couldn’t get away when you were around him without hearing some kind of story, you know… because he knew everybody,” Davis said.

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And everyone knew him.

“Dad made it crystal clear that community is family and community is the most important thing to us as a people and it has to be our number one priority. And that’s his legacy, I think, whether you think about Juneteenth Day or African World Fest… I mean, Dad’s footprints and handprints are all elements of his legacy,” Davis said.

Another legacy that lives on today is “Positively Milwaukee,” an element continued by retired TMJ4 host Carole Meekins.

“Andrea, one of the best things about Bill is that he really cared about sharing the positive story of our community and of Milwaukee. He cared about the community. He was very involved and when I went to any story in Milwaukee, somebody would ask me, ‘Hey, have you heard from Bill Taylor? How’s Bill Taylor?’ Or I remember Bill Taylor coming here… and there were always so many nice stories about him. So his legacy may be gone, but he’s in our hearts and he’s in Milwaukee,” Meekins said.

Vivian King agrees. Not only did she have the honor of sitting right next to him in the newsroom, but she also co-anchored with him during her time at TMJ4.

“Bill Taylor and one of our photographers, Andrew Triplett, who has also since retired, welcomed me with open arms. From then on he became ‘BT’ to me and he was always there to give me advice and support and the way he did his work was a role model for all of us and I wanted to be like him,” said King.

“You know, to me, Bill Taylor is one of the most important people TMJ4 ever hired because he gave other people hope,” Meekins said.

Retired TMJ4 photojournalist Clayborn Benson also has fond memories of his longtime friend, recalling the good old days when Bill led the libations at Juneteenth and broadcast live from the festivities.

“When he came to a place, people were so happy to see him and he built a graceful bond with the people. He was truly an outstanding reporter and wrote his stories from an African perspective, always community-oriented,” Benson said.

As a crew, they traveled all over the world, from Israel to Ghana. Clayborn even credits Bill Taylor with influencing his love of black history, which led him to found the Wisconsin Black Historical Society 37 years ago.

“The space we are in now is our Africa space and I mean this idea of ​​being African or coming from Africa comes from BT, that is its model,” he said.

A memorial service for Bill Taylor will be held at the Wisconsin Black Historical Society Museum. It is planned for 3rd August, That would have been Bill’s 80th birthday.

“In BT’s style, he was very Afrocentric and so we want to have a little bit of that so they know that he cared about Africa, our ancestors and our heritage and that he did it with dignity,” King said.

“He enlightened and educated,” Meekins recalled.

“My father’s personality and wisdom were infectious. It permeated not only his family but everyone he met,” said Kwao. “In all his work, whether on radio or television, he was unashamedly proud that we are descended from African kings and queens. If you have that as a foundation, you can conquer anything,” said Danae, smiling.

The memorial is open to the public, but seating is limited, so registration is required.

Click here for more information about Bill Taylor’s celebration of life.

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