I read in the world-renowned Winnsboro News of the retirement of Wood County Criminal District Attorney Marcus Taylor at the completion of his current term of office. He will have served 28 years as D.A. and 4 years as an Air Force Judge Advocate.

Mark is a great and humble man who serves with quiet dignity. He taught me that one can be tough, yet gentlemanly when representing a cause. I also enjoyed watching him school "big city" attorneys who would occasionally venture into that great metropolis of Quitman thinking "country lawyers" didn't know much. They often left town with a new education of their own.

He has a true heart for the victims of crime, particularly when those victims are children.

He is a big supporter of TDCAA and served as its president.

God bless, Boss.

Marcus also has served the Children's Advocacy Centers of Texas by assisting in the support of his own Center and serving on the statewide CACTX Board of Directors. Like his other work, he has provided a quiet but effective strength.

I have been a big fan of Marcus Taylor for years. He is a role model for all of us. A fine lawyer, a gentleman, and a advocate for victims, Marcus has shown us how to be a prosecutor.

I wish him the best in his retirement and hope that he will still be a regular attendee at TDCAA functions.

Mark has always been a role model for me as well. His quiet faith is the guiding force in his personal and professional life. Someone once said that "your life may be the only Bible some people ever see". In Mark's case, he lived his faith without apology for all to see.

Bud Kirkendall

Lest some may mistake this thread as a eulogy, Marcus is not dying. Only retiring.

[This message was edited by John Bradley on 12-19-05 at .]