MEMORIAL TRIBUTE - Celebrating Keith Taylor

"El Rey"

Read Keith's Obituary

Watch the Memorial Tribute Video

On Sept. 24, 2023, what would have been Keith's 91st birthday, his family and friends gathered on the University of Arizona Campus to celebrate his life. In El Rey's honor, Mariachi bands played in the Taylor Family Botanical Plaza, and we enjoyed good food and drinks in good company. During the event, a series of videos was shared depicting Keith's life in pictures, voice, and music. These videos will be publicly available on the Campus Arboretum YouTube channel and can also be accessed directly from a QR code at the Taylor Plaza memorial tree.  The afternoon culminated with a whiskey toast at the tree planted in his honor at the edge of the Taylor Family Botanical Plaza as we sang together "El Rey" (1971, Jose Alfredo Jimenez).  Photos of the event are found at the bottom of the page along with the Celebration of Life Program (pdf). 

The Joseph Wood Krutch Garden

Keith and Brenda provided full funding for the creation of a florilegium of the Joseph Wood Krutch Garden. This garden was an important campus connection for Keith both as a student and later in life. His advocacy for its preservation was a significant factor in its current status as a historic garden and in the establishment of the Campus Arboretum to serve as an advocate for future protection of this and all other botanical resources on main campus. Given the essential role Matt Johnson played in the project, Keith and Brenda wished to have the collection named in his honor. The collection of 65 scientific illustrations are now archived in the UA Special Collections Library where they will be available for loan. Prints of the art will be exhibited annually on and off campus to promote appreciation for the Sonoran native plants in the Krutch Garden. You can view a virtual gallery of the collection here. 

Tribute Trees for Keith

Two trees were planted as a tribute to Keith for his support of the Campus Arboretum and Desert Legume Program (DELEP). A little leaf ash tree (Fraxinus greggii) was planted on the west side of The Taylor Family Botanical Plaza west of Herring Hall (home of the UA Campus Arboretum offices and the Herbarium). A second tree, a Mexican redbud tree (Cercis canadensis var. mexicana) was installed in The Resilience Garden which is built around the legume trees rescued from the DELEP field plots prior to the sale of those lands by the university. At each tree, you will find a bronze plaque with an inscription that reads:

To visit the trees, use the campus map to navigate or reference the map image provided below.