REINVENTING THEMSELVES Robert Taylor ’78 coaches his basketball players at a top prep school, where he teaches economics. Just as he did when he worked on Wall Street, he starts his day early and dons a business suit and tie.
ROBERT TAYLOR ’78
From shaping the economy to shaping kids Courtesy of Robert Taylor ’78
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n high school, after canvassing mentors and teachers, Robert Taylor ’78 decided that an ideal life unfolds in three distinct stages: First, make money. Second, become an entrepreneur. Third, give back. #1. Done. #2. Done. #3. In progress. The idea of giving back, opening up the world for others, especially youngsters, was modeled by then-headmaster Dan Ayrault, a former Olympic gold medalist, whose family Taylor lived with during his junior and senior years. From birth, Taylor had been raised by his grandparents. They died while he was a Lakeside freshman, and he stayed with the gracious family of his best friend, Greg Aikens ’76, until the end of sophomore year. Then, the Ayraults invited him to move into the headmaster’s residence. “We would all have dinner together and talk about our days and share ideas and suggestions about ways to learn from our experiences. Dan Ayrault would share issues he was wrestling with at school, his thoughts on world events, his philosophy of life, and his amazingly pragmatic approach to problems. These dinners were the highlights of my days. I remember thinking that if I could be half the man he was, I would be incredibly successful.”
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At Lakeside, Taylor was a two-year captain and all-state varsity athlete in cross country, basketball, and track while also earning top grades. He went on to Harvard, earned an MBA at Columbia University, and worked his way up the ladder on Wall Street, first at Kidder, Peabody & Co. (investment banking, mergers and acquisitions), then JPMorgan Chase (working with corporations to raise money globally and invest in capital markets). When his wife’s work took the family to London in the late ’90s, Taylor launched his entrepreneur phase, serving as president of an Internet startup. After returning to the U.S., Taylor sold his company for a profit and went to graduate school in education. For the past decade, he’s taught economics and coached sports at Brunswick School in Greenwich, Conn., one of the nation’s top prep schools. How did Taylor know when it was time to start his next act? “There weren’t magical signs or tea leaves,” he says. “Life presents opportunities and you either decide to take them or you don’t.” “Think about living your life in stages and realize your goals may change,” he advises. “Think about the legacies you want to leave behind and work towards them every day.”
Taylor realized he could afford to make a career change – even with three kids to put through college – because he and his wife, a senior manager at Goldman Sachs, had built up financial security over the years. But leaving the money sector took another kind of courage. “You’re not only giving up income but also the self-image that comes with working in finance. It’s more than just a job. It helps people’s egos. It affects our economy. You’re moving millions of dollars around to their most efficient use. That’s a heady thing to give up.” Taylor has found his new calling to be “a true pleasure.” In Advanced Placement economics, he discusses with students why the housing crisis nearly caused a depression and what happens when the Fed stimulates the economy.“The kids are wonderful. Every class is different. Being a coach, teacher, advisor, I get to see kids in different ways. That’s fulfilling.” Taylor chose to teach at Brunswick in part so he could be a role model for boys who might grow up with limited exposure to successful African-American men. “Not just minority boys but also relatively well-off majority boys who would someday be leaders in their field. Everyone can benefit from challenging their stereotypical views of the world.”■
—PB