Owen Taylor writes:
“I am looking for anyone who knew my uncle Scott Taylor (1951-1993). I’d love to know more about his life.
“He was the oldest of 3 boys in Westport, on Oak Ridge Park. Scott was in Staples Players, and graduated with the class of 1969 before studying acting at the Boston University College of Fine Arts. He had a boyfriend there named John Smith.
Scott Taylor, in the 1969 Staples yearbook.
“Scott moved back to Westport in his early 20s. He acted and wrote for theatre in Boston, New York, California and Pennsylvania.
“I was just 12 when he died in 1993 of complications due to AIDS. I have sweet memories of visiting my softspoken uncle who gave my sister and me nice gifts at Christmas, and showed us his sketchbooks and his poster-sized collages made from National Geographics that he’d sell on the street.
“He was my only reference for a real life gay person (besides the very limited representation on TV in the early ’90s).
“When Scott died I received his childhood comic book collection. I decorated my bedroom with his collages, wooden masks, a beautiful woven bedspread, and his potted dragon tree. I was surrounded by his ephemera for years.
“I came out of the closet at 19. I often wonder what it would be like if my uncle had lived to be a part of my life.
Scott Taylor
“Ten years later, I found more of Scott’s boxes in my dad’s garage. Most were water damaged and headed for the dump, but I discovered a typewritten poem he made at age 23 in 1974.
“I set the poem to music, and recorded it for my family to listen to. While I work as a seed farmer and farm educator at Truelove Seeds in Philadelphia, I also make music on the side in a band called My Gay Banjo, and on my own.
“It felt wonderful to honor him by making a collage of his art and mine, and collaborating across time, space, life, and afterlife. Click here to listen to the song, called “I Don’t Like To.”
Please help my sister, my family and me learn more about my uncle, if you knew him. You can contact me at owenstaylor@gmail.com.
Scott Taylor, with Owen and his sister.
PS. Some branches of my family tree go back generations in Westport, including the Edmond Curtis Smiths (4 generations) on my mom’s side, and Michael and Rose (Laurella) Vigilante and their daughters Ann and Rita on my dad’s side.
My great-grandfather Michael Vigilante was a sheriff in Westport, involved in real estate, and served as president of the St. Anthony Society for Italians. His wife Rose was on the women’s Republican committee, and cooked for years for the Westport Playhouse (long before my mom’s family ran the Players Tavern).
I’m interested in these stories as well, if anyone has anything to share.
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