Dedicated his life to serving his fellow man and his Brothers in leadership positions.
Get to know Jeff Taylor (Alpha Beta ’72), the ATO. After graduating from Elizabethtown High School in 1971, Jeff pledged ATO in the Spring of 1972 in the Alpha Beta Pledge Class.
During his three years as an active member of Zeta Lambda, he served as treasurer, house manager, pledge trainer, and Worthy Master (President) from 1974-1975.
In 1975, Jeff was awarded the Thomas Arkle Clark Award (TAC) by the Chapter and later became the TAC recipient of Provence 27.
Of the seven finalists among the 32 Provinces, he received the national TAC Honorable Mention Award.
The TAC Award is given to the most outstanding senior candidates for undergraduate degrees, recognizing excellence in scholarship, leadership, service, and personal qualities of character, integrity, and responsibility. These qualities have remained with Jeff throughout his endeavors.
Steve Meacham (Omega ‘71), Jeff’s Big Brother, recalls
“Jeff was quiet and reserved when I first met him but he blossomed as an ATO and campus leader. He leads by example and dedication, not for the glory.”
Jeff served as Province 27 Chief from 1977 to 1980. In the summer of 1980, he chaired the Host Committee for the ATO National Congress in Louisville, Kentucky.
Get to know Jeff Taylor’s contributions and dedication to his community and fraternity.
From 1990 to 1994, Jeff served as President of the Murray State Zeta Lambda Alumni and Housing Association.
During this period, he successfully negotiated a property swap with MSU, trading the fraternity’s property at 101 North 16th Street for the current house location.
Jeff initiated the fundraising campaign to construct a new chapter house, raising over $200,000 from alumni. The fraternity house was completed in August 1993. In 1994, the alumni association awarded him the David A. Moffitt Distinguished Service Award.
In 2004, he was presented with an Outstanding Achievement Award by the Pi Sigma Alpha Honorary Society at Murray State.
David Franklin (Chi ’70), a lifelong friend, shares,
“We go on ‘Walk Outs’ every year with around 12 of us ATOs to New Orleans and have a ball. Jeff and I get together every chance we can. We are both Colts fans so we usually get together 4 or 5 times a year. He’s a great friend and a great ATO.”
In 2008, Jeff initiated and chaired the Zeta Lambda 50th Anniversary Committee, organizing a 50th Anniversary ATO reunion celebration in Murray on May 14-16, 2009. It was attended by 400 alumni brothers, including 20 charter initiates.
Roger Watson (Alpha Gamma ’72), a roommate and lifelong friend, says,
“We are lifelong friends. Jeff lives the ATO Creed as a natural born leader. The ‘Walk Out’ this year with him was great.”
He served on the Board of Regents at Murray State University from 2006-2009. He chaired the Finance Committee and the Regents Tuition Task Force Committee, while serving on numerous other committees.
Honorable Judge KENTUCKY COURT OF APPEALS
Jeff Taylor has a Bachelor of Science Degree from Murray State University and a Master of Public Administration Degree from the University of Memphis.
He attended night law school for three and a half years while teaching political science classes during the day at Jefferson Community College in Louisville and working as an intern in the Hardin County Commonwealth’s Attorney Office.
Brother Taylor earned his law degree from the University of Louisville Louis D. Brandeis School of Law, graduating with honors in 1982.
Randy Hutchinson (Tau ’68), a former law partner, praises Taylor, saying,
“Jeff has a great legal mind and shows good thinking in staying focused to be fair but just as a judge. He is the epidemy of the ATO spirit of Brotherhood.”
From May 1983 to December 2003, Taylor practiced law in Owensboro. From 1983 to 1987, he practiced law with Zeta Lambda alum M. Kirby Gordon II (Kappa ’64), and from 1988 to 1990, he practiced with Zeta Lambda alum Randy Hutchinson (Tau ’68). From 1990 until December 2003, Taylor was a sole practitioner in Owensboro until his election as a Judge on the Kentucky Court of Appeals in November 2003.
Taylor is currently in his 19th year on the Court and is the second longest-tenured appellate judge in Kentucky.
He has served as a member of the Kentucky Judicial Conduct Commission since 2016 and is one of six judges statewide who serve on the Commission. He previously served on the Judicial Ethics Committee from 2012 to 2016.
Get to Know Jeff Taylor … Serving the Community
He has served as the past-president of the Kentucky chapter of the Federal Bar Association, as well as the Daviess County Bar Association, Daviess County Public Defender Corporation, and Daviess County Lawyer Referral Service. He is an active member of both the Kentucky and Daviess County bar associations. In 2016, he was honored with the Joseph Hamilton Daviess Award by the Daviess County Bar Association for his outstanding public service to the legal profession and his community.
Judge Jeff Taylor is a distinguished Life Fellow in the Kentucky Bar Foundation. He is also a member of the Brandeis Honor Society at the University of Louisville Louis D. Brandeis School of Law.
Alan Stout (Alpha Eta ’74) Fellow Brother and Judge Colleague
“Jeff Taylor is the embodiment of what Brotherhood is all about. He is Mr. Zeta Lambda.”
Judge Taylor has been a dedicated member of the Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce for 32 years. He currently serves in the Ohio County Chamber. He is a past-president of the Owensboro Kiwanis Club, where he has been a member for 37 years. The Owensboro Kiwanis Club has honored him as Kiwanian of the Year four times, and Kiwanis International has inducted him into the Legion of Honor. Indeed, Judge Taylor’s exceptional community service stands out.
He has served on the Girls Inc. Advisory Board of Trustees for 31 years and is a former board member of the Owensboro-Daviess County Committee on Aging. He is also a member of the American Legion SAL (Sons of American Legion) Post 9 and has been a frequent volunteer for the Salvation Army and Boy Scouts Law Explorers.
Steve Farmer (Xi ’66) Zeta Lambda Historian and Get to Know Writer
“We are proud of our Brother Jeff Taylor for he truly embodies the principles of Virtue, Truth, and Love that Alpha Tau Omega reveres“.
Judge Taylor is married to Betty Keller of Christian County. She has one son, and together they have two grandchildren. The Taylors are active members of Beaver Dam Baptist Church in Ohio County. Get to know Judge Jeff Taylor and his loving family.