Dr. Raymond Hargus Taylor, Chaplain and Religion Faculty Emeritus of Chowan, died peacefully on Sunday, October 30, 2016, at Vidant Roanoke-Chowan Hospital in Ahoskie, North Carolina.

Beginning as Chaplain to the College (now University) in 1963, Dr. Taylor held many positions on the historic campus throughout his career, including Director of Denominational Relations and Chair of the Department of Religion. He was a founding member of the Chowan Christian Service Association (CCSA), serving as Secretary from its inception in 2005 until 2014. Even after his retirement in 1999, Dr. Taylor continued to serve as University Historian.

Dr. Taylor was a confidant to several presidents and a leader of spiritual life on campus over his 36 years of service to the University, but to the students who knew and loved him dearly he was, and will always be, simply "Chap". He was a giant to his family, this campus, and the community. 

Fostering Baptist history and heritage, Dr. Taylor and his wife, Doris, were instrumental establishing the Oscar Creech Collection of Baptist History at Chowan's Whitaker Library; establishing the R. Hargus and Doris Taylor CCSA Scholarship at Chowan University; and establishing the Taylor Religious Heritage Lectures and Endowment at Chowan, as well. For their faithful service and support of the University, they were given Chowan's highest honor, the Spirit of Chowan Award, in 2015.

Taylor and his family were avid supporters of the institution’s athletic program. The relationship with the men’s basketball team was particularly close from 1977 to 1989, when he served as “unofficial” chaplain to the team. He was inducted into the Chowan University Sports Hall of Fame in 1998. 

His interest in historical research and writing and genealogy led him to write histories of the Cashie Baptist Church, the Murfreesboro Baptist Church, the Winter Park Baptist Church, the Flat River Baptist Association, the Chadbourne Baptist Church, the North Rocky Mount Baptist Church, Chowan College and the Rosemary Baptist Church. He contributed about thirty articles to various publications. For his work fostering Baptist history and heritage, Dr. Taylor received the Baptist Heritage Award in 2012. 

He served as a member of the Board of Deacons and as a Sunday School teacher at Murfreesboro Baptist Church, and was a founding member of the Board of Directors of Hertford County Habitat for Humanity. A true minister, he served as interim pastor to many local congregations over the years.

R. Hargus Taylor was the son of Clyde Cornelius Taylor and Edna Virginia Turner Taylor. He was born October 4, 1931, in Hall County, Ky. He earned an A.A. degree from Cumberland College, Ky., in 1952, a B.A. from Carson-Newman College, Tenn., in 1953, a B.D. from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Ky., in 1956, and a Th.D. from that institution in 1961.

He is survived by his wife of sixty-two years, Doris Titsworth Taylor; son, David Warren Taylor; daughter, Marcia Ellen Taylor Thompson; and five grandchildren.

Friends may join the family at Murfreesboro Baptist Church at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, November 2 and at the graveside service to follow.

Memorial donations may be made to the R. Hargus and Doris Taylor CCSA Scholarship or Murfreesboro Baptist Church.