2nd Lt. Irvin Samuel Taylor (O-717704) was the navigator. He was born on 19 June 1925 in Bristol, VA, the second youngest of six children of Hyman Taylor (born Tepper) (1884-1942) and Lillie (Covitz) Taylor (1889-1973) who were Latvian immigrants. They were among the only Jewish people in this small Southern town at the time.

Irvin graduated from Huntsville, AL High School in 1941 and went on to attend the Southern College of Optometry. His studies were interrupted when he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1943. On his 35th combat mission, his plane was shot down over Austria. The entire crew parachuted safely from the burning plane which broke up a few seconds after the crew bailed out. They were arrested by the Austrian police and sent to Stalag Luft III, a Nazi poisoner of war camp in Germany. For his valor, Taylor was awarded the Air Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross and the Purple Heart.

After being liberated and returning to the States, Taylor graduated from Southern College of Optometry on 28 March 1947. He practiced optometry in Knoxville, TN but soon enrolled at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine. He earned his doctorate in ophthalmology in 1953, graduating at the top of his class. He interned at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal. He completed his training in ophthalmology at the Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School.

On 23 November 1961, Taylor married Judith Mundlak (1934- ) of London, England who was doing her residency in neurology. They had two sons.

Dr. Taylor practiced ophthalmology in Ossining and Scarsdale, NY from the late 1950s through 1981, when he retired from practice and became a successful health care entrepreneur. He was on the staff of New York Hospital and a member of the ophthalmology faculty at Cornell University Medical School. He served as ophthalmologist at the eye clinic a the Sloane Kettering Institute. He and his wife moved to San Francisco in 1994 and opened a new chapter of their lives.

Taylor was a founding partner of Prado Group, a real estate investment firm in the Bay Area, retiring in 2010.

He died in his home on 12 September 2016 at age 92 after having been in declining health for many years. His obituary noted: He was an incredible role model, deeply generous in spirit and never lost his sweet smile and courtly Southern manners ever. Not often are we so blessed as to have people like Irvin in our lives. He was a remarkable first-generation American.

Taylor was buried with military honors at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery in Dixon, CA.

Record	Title	Source Website	Type	Created
Taylor.jpg		Forces War Records	Image	5/03/2012
Gray W.jpg		Forces War Records	Image	5/03/2012
Sheet 12B	US, Census - Federal, 1930	Forces War Records	Image	20/03/2009
TaylorPhoto.jpg		Forces War Records	Image	11/03/2018
TaylorIrvinGrave.jpeg		Forces War Records	Image	12/03/2018

Crash of B-17 44-6849 MACR 12812

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