99th Birthday Salute to J. Paul Taylor Aug. 25 at NM Farm & Ranch Museum

August 13th, 2019

(Las Cruces, New Mexico) – A 99^th birthday salute to J. Paul Taylor will be held Sunday, August 25, from 3:30-5:30 p.m. at the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces.  This annual celebration, sponsored by Friends of the Taylor Family Monument in partnership with the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs and New Mexico Historic Sites, honors Taylor as a friend, benefactor, and civic leader.

Come greet Mr. Taylor and join the Friends group as they work to support the Taylor-Mesilla Historic Property.  Admission is a membership in the organization. 

For more information contact the Friends of the Taylor Family Monument at ftfm.mesilla.nm@gmail.com. 

J. Paul Taylor was a long-time educator in the Las Cruces Public Schools and a Representative in the New Mexico Legislature for 9 consecutive terms.

In 2003, Taylor and his late wife, Mary Daniels Taylor and their family generously donated their historic adobe home and two adjoining stores to the Museum of New Mexico as a historic site. Their collections of Spanish Colonial, Mexican, and New Mexican artwork, along with furniture, rugs, pottery, and textiles from all over the world, were included in the donation.

The Taylor-Mesilla Historic Property is one of nine Historic Sites managed by the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs. 

99^th Birthday Salute to J. Paul Taylor

New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum

4100 Dripping Springs Road, Las Cruces

 For information contact:

575-202-1638

http://nmhistoricsites.org/taylor-mesilla

Media Resources: 

YouTube link to J.Paul Taylor  Birthday video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsCMvJ-UncE

Interview: J.Paul Taylor 3:00

Interview: Cynthia Garrett 2:47

B Roll Mesilla Plaza 1:09

 

Media Contact: Mary Ann Hatchitt, 505-681-4014, mahatchitt@outlook.com

 

About New Mexico Historic Sites: http://nmhistoricsites.org/

New Mexico Historic Sites are a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, under the leadership of the Board of Regents for the Museum of New Mexico. Programs and exhibits are generously supported by the Museum of New Mexico Foundation, through the generous support of donors.

On March 14, 1931, the New Mexico Historic Site system was established by an Act for the Preservation of the Scientific Resources of New Mexico, to "declare by public proclamation that historic and prehistoric structures and other objects of scientific interest that are situated upon the lands owned or controlled by the State of New Mexico, shall be state monuments, and may reserve as a part thereof such parcels of land as may be necessary to the proper care and management of the objects to be protected." Under the direction of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs, eight sites are open to the public: Coronado, Fort Selden, Fort Stanton, Fort Sumner Historic Site/Bosque Redondo Memorial, Jemez, Lincoln, and Los Luceros.

In 2003, the J. Paul Taylor Family bequeathed the Barela-Reynolds House and Property on the Mesilla Plaza to the Department of Cultural Affairs. Still serving as J. Paul Taylor’s private home, the property will become a Historic Site after his passing. Events, news releases and images about activities at New Mexico Historic Sites, and other Department of Cultural Affairs divisions can be accessed at media.newmexicoculture.org.​