One day, George lost his glasses.  To see, he utilized the "pinhole principle" by putting paper into empty eyeglass frames and slitting each piece of paper down the middle.  This must have worked because he drove all over the Monterey Peninsula this way.

But to observers, it looked as though this enormous long-haired fellow had deliberately blanked out his eyes and was driving blind.

Another time, George, sound asleep on the couch at Holly Street, sat up and said to me:  "McPartland, there are three places in the machine where it's illegal to be, and you're in one of them".

I asked:  "George, are you awake?"  He answered:  "No" and flopped back down, still sound asleep.

He wrote poetry, philos- ophized at length,  and was a big-hearted, sensitive guy.

We all miss George.

(Photo from Jim Popkey Photo Archive)

George Burton Pendleton Taylor, fondly known as Big George, died peacefully in his sleep Sept. 9, 1992, in Eureka. He suffered for the past several years from degenerative rheumatoid disease of the spine. He died of heart failure. 

Born Oct. 10, 1948, in Waltham, Mass., to Elizabeth Louise Mabe Burton Taylor and Ralph Pendleton Taylor, George accompanied his family to their various military postings. He attended Pacific Grove High School, Monterey Peninsula College and Humboldt State University, Arcata. 

A dedicated potter, George taught his craft to other disabled persons and wanted to be rememberd as having developed a unique red glaze. He is survived by his mother, Elizabeth L.B. Taylor of Pacific Grove; two sisters, Sarah Elizabeth Taylor and Mary Susan Taylor of San Francisco; a brother, Michael Vernon of Santa Cruz; and his adopted brother and sister, Robert and Cathy Dolinajec of Bayside.

George's gregarious enthusiasm enlived many lives and "The Big Man" will be sorely misssed by his family and host of friends. Friends are invited to attend memorial services today, Sept. 10, 1992, at 5 p.m. at Jacoby Creek Farm, Bayside. In lieu of flowers the family requests memorial contributions be made in George's name to the Dolinajec Mortgage fund, c/o Home Federal Bank, 959 Myrtle Ave., Eureka 95501.