MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A charter faculty member of Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine has been inducted into the state’s veterinary profession’s Hall of Fame.

Dr. Clyde Taylor, a native of Natchez, was named to the Mississippi Veterinary Medical Association’s Hall of Fame at their recent winter meeting in Starkville. He spent his entire career in Mississippi, working first in the Department of Agriculture, then in private practice in Brandon and finally on the faculty at MSU.

After earning his bachelor’s degree from MSU, Taylor received his doctor of veterinary medicine degree from Auburn in 1960. He then received a master’s of public health from Tulane University and became a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventative Medicine.

In 1976, Taylor left his private practice to become the second faculty member hired for the then new veterinary school at MSU. Taylor was part of the original 17 founding faculty members when MSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine started in the late 1970s.

Another charter faculty member, Dr. Dwight Mercer, described Taylor as his “absolute right-hand man” during Mercer’s tenure as dean of the college from 1985 to 1999.

“Dr. Taylor seemed to know just about everyone in the state, and I knew he could go anywhere to solve problems or to persuade others to lend their support to the college,” he said. “He made major contributions to the establishment of the state’s veterinary college and was key in keeping its doors open through some tough economic times.”

Before Taylor’s retirement in 1996, he taught CVM classes, traveled the state as the Extension veterinarian, served as coordinator of special programs for the veterinary college and was assistant to the dean. He is also a member of the Mississippi Cattlemen’s Hall of Fame and an honor roll member of the MVMA and the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Taylor is a past recipient of the National Extension Veterinarian of the Year, the Mississippi Veterinarian of the Year, the Wilford S. Bailey Distinguished Alumni Award from Auburn and the Dean’s Pegasus Award at MSU. He has served MVMA as president and as an executive board member.

“This is a great honor, to be named among so many outstanding Mississippi veterinarians,” Taylor said. “My career has been a pleasure, and I’m grateful for all the people I’ve been able to work with and the opportunities I’ve had to promote veterinary medicine in the state.”