STATE SENATE REAPPOINTS J. PAUL TAYLOR TO MUSEUM BOARD OF REGENTS
For Immediate Release
The New Mexico State Senate on Thursday reappointed longtime and renowned legislator, educator, community leader, and arts patron John Paul Taylor to the Museum Board of Regents. Taylor, 97, of Mesilla, served in the New Mexico State House of Representatives from 1987 to 2005, and was named Legislator of the Year many times by various community-oriented organizations.
“I am honored to sponsor Representative Taylor, a man who has contributed so much to the state of New Mexico, both professionally and personally,” said Senator Mary Kay Papen (Dist. 38, Doña Ana). “He is such a giant in Doña Ana County that sometimes I think it should be called J. Paul Taylor County.”
Taylor, a World War II Navy veteran from 1942-46, also made a colossal mark as a longtime educator in the Las Cruces area. His love for New Mexico history led him to donate his vintage Spanish hacienda on the historic Mesilla Plaza to the State of New Mexico, which will later be opened to the public as a museum.
Senator Joseph Cervantes (Dist. 31, Doña Ana) said on the Senate floor that his family has an annual Holiday tradition of going to the Mesilla Plaza with a special emphasis on visiting Representative Taylor’s home and marveling at its contents. “When his home opens to the public as a museum, it is going to be one of New Mexico’s greatest treasures,” Senator Cervantes said.
Taylor will serve on the state Museum Board of Regents through July 8, 2021.
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