University Times

Longtime Trees Pool men’s locker room attendant Robert Taylor of Wilkinsburg died Jan. 25, 2010. He was 58.

A Pitt staff member since 1978, Taylor won friends among faculty, staff and students alike as the man who handed out towels and locker keys with a ready smile and a friendly word. “Anyone who used the pool, he was the face of the pool,” said Taylor’s supervisor, aquatics director Kevin McLaughlin.

“It was more personal than just a key and a towel with Bobby,” McLaughlin said, recalling how Taylor took interest in the people who crossed his path, asking about their families and inquiring how their day was going.

Taylor’s attitude was consistently professional, happy and energetic, said McLaughlin, who first met Taylor when McLaughlin  came to Pitt as a student-athlete and found Taylor’s warmth extended to faculty, staff and students alike.

Taylor treated his University friends as an extension of his family and the pool as his second home, McLaughlin said. “Over 32 years he built up a lot of friendships,” he said, adding that many longtime swimmers were among the visitors who paid their respects at Taylor’s funeral last week.

Head swimming coach Chuck Knoles also remembered Taylor for his cheerful disposition and his dedication to the pool.

“He always afforded a smile to absolutely everyone. He tried to brighten everyone’s day, greeted all the faculty and staff who came to swim, took care of them,” he said. “All the athletes remember him. He was the first one they’d see.” Knoles said Taylor “considered Trees Pool his pool and he was very protective of the pool,” adding that when Taylor was working, the swimmers could rest assured that Taylor would see to it that everything would run smoothly.

Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg commented, “Back when I had a little more time in my life — before moving into the Cathedral of Learning — I regularly swam for exercise at Trees Pool. One of the benefits of that experience was that it gave me frequent opportunities to interact with Bobby. He was unfailingly friendly and upbeat, and no matter how things were going, just talking to him made it a better day. He was an important member of the University community who will be missed by everyone who knew him.”

Dianne Drish, a longtime colleague in the Department of Health and Physical Activity, said, “He had a way with people that made them feel special,” adding, with a laugh, “He gave the fluffiest towels to his favorites.

“He did his job very well and made a lot of friends that way,” she said, adding, “It’s not easy to work in the basement of Trees Hall all day.”

Taylor good-naturedly endured teasing and pranks, including the year he turned 40 when, Drish recalled, a co-worker posted “Happy 50th Birthday” messages around the building, prompting numerous well-wishers to offer their congratulations and tell Taylor how good he looked for a man of 50.

Although he had endured health problems in recent years, “He would always come back — he felt best when he was at work,” Drish said, noting that Taylor’s death came as a surprise. “We thought he’d snap back as usual,” she said.

McLaughlin said it is difficult to adjust to Taylor’s absence at the pool. “It’s different that it’s not him in there,” McLaughlin said. “It’s going to take a lot of people a lot of time to get used to that. I’m not sure some of us are ever going to get used to it.”

Taylor is survived by his wife, Marna; children Robert Bailey, Heath Bailey, Shane McCrommon and Yolanda Taylor; 13 grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

—Kimberly K. Barlow