GRANITE CITY HIGH SCHOOL
CLASS OF 1966

Arvil V. Taylor, Jr., a 1966 graduate of Granite City Senior High School, is a retired US Air Force Officer and retired commercial airline pilot and is currently teaching high school mathematics at the Paseo Academy for Fine and Performing Arts in the Kansas City, Missouri, Public School District. Arvil received a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Southern Illinois University in 1970 and a Master of Science Degree in 1978. He also holds an Airline Transport Pilot Certificate with endorsements for 747, 737, and MD-80 heavy aircraft.

Arvil is married to Sharon B. Koch, who was also a member of the Class of 1966. They have a son, Stephen, a daughter, Jennifer, and four wonderful grandchildren Ashley, Logan, Ethan and Brianna. Their fifth grandchild, Kenton, is expected to arrive in January.

Lt. Col. Taylor served in the United States Air Force for 21 years and retired as a combat decorated veteran of Viet Nam with over 5,000 military flight hours and 90+ combat missions. He also served in support of Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm. His decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, four Air Medals for missions flown in Viet Nam, and two Air Force Commendations medals.

During his Air Force career, Arvil served in a number of highly selective positions ranging from a wing level Flight Safety officer, to the Bomber Safety Program Manager for the Strategic Air Command, to Air Force One Advance Agent and culminating as the Commander of the 1st Airborne Command and Control Squadron. He also served four years of the very select group of Presidential Advance Agents, who is responsible for the coordinated and secure world-wide deployment of Air Force One, during President Reagan’s administration.

In 1978 Arvil served as the Assistant to Mayor Paul Schuler of Granite City.

Following his Air Force career, Arvil was a 747 Captain and Flight Safety Specialist for Atlas Airlines operating out of Kennedy International Airport, Jamaica, New York. After four years with Atlas, Arvil accepted a position as a 737 Captain with Vanguard Airlines in Kansas City, Missouri. At Vanguard Airlines, he was elected Chairman of the Vanguard Airlines Pilots Association. In this capacity, he worked very closely with company officials to develop key personnel initiatives for the airline. He retired from aviation with over 10,000 hours of flight time of which over 5,000 was in 747’s.

In 2002, Arvil retired from aviation. In the spring of 2007, through the Troops to Teachers Program, Arvil un-retired and became a professional educator. For the past three years, he has taught Algebra, Geometry and Trigonometry at the Paseo Academy, the magnet school for fine and performing arts in Kansas City, Missouri.