Interviewer: James Wang

Project: University Of Houston

William “Bill” Taylor was a member of the 1955 Houston ROTC Quartermasters Regiment and a cadet 1st lieutenant in command of the Cullen Rifles, which were named after long-time UH benefactor Hugh Roy Cullen. Taylor attended the University of Houston from January 1952, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, and also received his commission in the US Army as a second lieutenant in June 1956. He was medically retired by the Army after nine years of service at the rank of captain as an armored officer. The Interview centers around Taylor’s recollection of his time in the Cullen Rifles, its daily routines and annual traditions, uniforms, and a few of the events where they were privileged to perform, such as serving as the Honor Guard to President Dwight D. Eisenhower when he was in Houston. It also features his insights into how the anti-war sentiments of the Vietnam War era led to the Rifles’ decline and informal disbanding in the 1970s as well as his optimistic thoughts on the Rifle’s resurrection in 2014.