Our Story
Our son, Taylor Gillespie, was a student at Texas A&M University. As a member of theP-2 Tridents in the Corps of Cadets, Taylor served as Commander of the P-2 Company his senior year. He was a Ross Volunteer and an officer in the student-run organization Ags of OAK (Open Acts of Kindness). His love for Texas A&M was surpassed only by his love for his Savior, Jesus Christ.
Open acts of kindness and unconditional love exemplified our son’s life from an early age. Taylor was sensitive to the struggles his peers were going through. He would root for the underdog; be the buddy or big brother every kid needed; and bring them all home for supper! Taylor was known for his bright smile; sense of humor; playful attitude; loyalty; and service to his community.
Sadly, our son passed away following a tragic car accident on January 9, 2011. He was on his way back to A&M for the final semester of his Senior year. We grieved the loss of our only child, yet rejoiced that he was safe at home with our Lord. Among Taylor’s belongings retrieved from the wreckage was his Bible. Inside, we found a sheet of paper with a list of names entitled “Taylor’s Most Wanted”. These were fellow A&M students he was praying would come to share a personal walk with Christ. We were comforted by a multitude of reports from Taylor’s peers who shared how he impacted their lives in small, yet meaningful ways. To this day, we are still receiving comments from former students Taylor helped overcome the culture shock of life on a huge university campus as well as challenges in their personal lives.
We always enjoyed Aggieland with all its rich tradition and visited Taylor whenever we could while he was a student at A&M. Due to finances, our visits were not as frequent as we would have liked. Many families can relate to this. Its hard to be a long-distance parent when a son or daughter is struggling with life or when you simply want to share in the richness of their college experience. As we began the long journey toward emotional healing following the loss of Taylor, our Aggie Family continued to be a tremendous source of comfort and encouragement.
How could we honor Taylor’s short, but amazing life? How could we help other Aggie families who faced the same struggles we had experienced? How could we ever express our gratitude to all those Aggies who walked with us through these dark times? Early in 2014 a crazy idea came to us. What if we moved to Aggieland and started some sort of ministry to Aggie students and their families? This made absolutely no sense, but we soon realized it was a “God-thing”. We were not just moving; we were being called to Aggieland.
So….. Taylor’s Place was born in September of 2014 when we formed a nonprofit and moved by faith, with no job prospects in sight, to a strange yet oh so familiar town. Taylor’s Place is obviously a namesake memorial to our son.More importantly it is a continuation of his desire to help A&M students not only succeed, but thrive during their college years.
Thanks & Gig 'Em,
TJ & Tanya Gillespie