Major Taylor

Because we're both funemployed, Andrew and I decided to make a mid-week trip to visit Major Taylor's grave in Mt. Glenwood Memory Gardens in south suburban Chicago the other week. It was a beautiful day, and the cemetery was actually really nice, you know, for a cemetery. As we walked in the gate, one of the groundskeepers asked us if we were there "for the bicycle racer?" I suppose it was obvious to him that two skinny white guys visiting a historically black cemetery are probably there to visit Major Taylor. He pointed us in the right direction, and we eventually found it, in a nice shady little corner. Major Taylor is surrounded by judges, lawyers and WWII veterans, and his marker is by far the most impressive. It was good to see that his accomplishments are remembered appropriately. Read more about this pioneering African-American world champion track racer here, and the historic Mt. Glenwood cemetery here.