Following the Trail of Trooper Alfred Pride

Trooper Pride was part of a much larger story that touches the hot wires of cultural genocide, Black Codes, Jim Crow laws, vast disparities in the ways our nation's weath is distributed, and the dissonance between American ideals and the hard truth of our collective past.

Dr. Alfred O. Taylor, Jr. was born and raised in Arlington County, Virginia on July 28, 1934. He attended the Stevens Elementary, Francis Jr. High and Armstrong Technical High Schools in Washington, D.C. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Technical Teacher Training, a Master of Arts in Administration and Supervision of Adult Education from UDC's predecessor institutions, and a Doctor of Education from the Virginia Polytechnic and State University in Administration and Supervision of Higher Education. His love for education has allowed him to pursue additional classes at the Rochester Institute of Technology, University of Pittsburgh, University of California at Berkeley and others. Taylor served as the Associate Dean of the College of Physical Science, Engineering and Technology, Coordinator of Admission and Records, Assistant Provost for Student Services, Assistant Dean of the College of Professional Studies and Acting Dean. Taylor retired from the University of the District of Columbia after thirty-one years of service.

Taylor and his late wife Delores, a retired District of Columbia Public Schools teacher were married for 67 years and were blessed with two children, three grandsons, and two great granddaughters. He has been driven by his life-long mantra: "If I can help somebody as I travel along, then my living would not be in Vain."