It was an unintended rescue mission in 1964 that would define Lenora Taylor’s drive for the rest of her life. Despite what the doctors had told her, she knew her autistic son deserved better than a state mental ward.
Taylor died of complications related to Alzheimer's disease on Nov. 20 at 88 years old. A memorial service was held March 18 at The Cathedral of Saint Phillips in Buckhead.
“He is never going back there.” James Taylor, Jr. remembers his mother saying that in a definitive tone of voice. The family had just left Milledgeville after what they thought was going to be a week-long visit with her youngest son, Sam. It turned into a rescue mission after they family arrived to find Sam in deplorable conditions.
“We hadn’t realized that we’d inadvertently walked into the gates of hell,” James said, adding that his brother didn’t seem to recognize him or his mother. “We got him out of there as fast as we could.”
Days after Sam was born, Jeff Taylor, Sam’s other brother, recalls his mother saying “there’s just something different about Sam.” By the age of 5 Sam still didn’t talk, and his erratic behavior led doctors to diagnose him as “hopelessly retarded” with a recommendation that Lenora commit him to a mental institution.
“That’s the way things were done in 1964,” Jeff said. “People didn’t understand anything about autism.”
Sometime after Lenora Taylor reluctantly complied with the doctor’s’ recommendations, the whole family went to visit Sam. It was there they found Sam “emaciated” and “filthy” with “various scabs all over him,” which later turned out to be cigarette burns.
Jeff recalls the doctors saying that Sam was within two weeks of dying from malnutrition. “We got him out of there as fast as we could,” he said.
The ride back was quiet until Lenora made her “he is never going back there” proclamation. The moment was reiterated in James’ eulogy written with a capitalized emphasis on “never” and “there.” And Sam never did go there again.
That was the seminal event that would set Lenora’s life purpose. She had to find out exactly what was wrong with her son.
Later, Sam’s pediatrician gave her a new book titled “Concerning Infantile Autism” by Bernard Rimland, who was regarded as the foremost expert on the subject. She immediately contacted Rimland, who responded and sent her back a lengthy questionnaire to fill out for Sam.
“This is a classic case,” Rimland told Lenora of Sam’s questionnaire results. Her son was “one of the earliest diagnosed cases of infantile autism,” James said.
She finally had an answer, but didn’t stop there. Lenora sought to bring autism awareness to other parents struggling to find out what was wrong with their children. With a group of parents, she helped form the Georgia Chapter for the National Society of Autistic Children, and later served on the national advisory board.
Because Lenora wouldn’t simply accept what so many doctors told her, her son Sam eventually graduated from Northside High School and began his road to self-sufficiency. Sam found his dream job working with the grounds and housekeeping crews at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
In addition to educating the public on autism, Lenora was drawn to a life of music. She also incorporated it into a communication aid for her son, who responded well to music. She had a small mounted plaque that read, “The Lord listens when I pray, but He loves to hear me sing.”
She sang with the Cathedral Choir for almost 30 years. “She had a beautiful alto voice,” her friend in the choir, Miranda Miles, said. “Just really pretty.”
Miles remembers Lenora ever so fondly. A lifetime of stories and good times can be heard in the enthusiasm of Miles’ voice as she describes her friend. “I can’t tell you how much fun it was,” she said.
Her memory of a huge pipe organ in Lenora’s modest house seems to represent her personality perfectly: a small woman with monumental music inside her.
“She was the kind of person that you would want as a friend,” Miles said. “I hope everyone has a Lenora.”
Lenora Taylor’s husband, James Albert Taylor, Sr., preceded her in death in 2006. She is survived by her sons, James (Bud) Albert Taylor Jr., and Chaplain Jeffrey John Taylor, and two grandchildren, Emily Ann (Taylor) Brown, and Justin John Taylor. Her youngest son, Samuel David Taylor died in 2006.
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