Alice Bemis Taylor
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Alice Bemis Taylor (October 15, 1877 – June 22, 1942) was a
philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...
and was inducted into the
Colorado Women's Hall of Fame The Colorado Women's Hall of Fame is a non-profit, volunteer organization that recognizes women who have contributed to the history of the U.S. state of Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the ...
in 2010. For her significant contributions to
Colorado College Colorado College is a private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell in his daughter's memory, the college offers over 40 majors a ...
, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center and the Colorado Springs Day Nursery and other organizations, she was named "Lady Bountiful" by the press.


Early years

Alice Bemis was born in
Newton, Massachusetts Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located roughly west of Downtown Boston, and comprises a patchwork of thirteen villages. The city borders Boston to the northeast and southeast (via the neighborhoods of ...
to Alice Cogswell Bemis and Judson Moss Bemis, philanthropist and founder of J. M. Bemis Company. Alice and Judson Moss Bemis had five children: Judson, born in 1867 in St. Louis; Albert Farwell born in Boston; Maude, Lucy and Alice all born in Newton, Massachusetts. The Bemis family moved to Colorado Springs in 1881 for Alice's mother's health when the girl was 4 years of age. Her mother may have had
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
. After a few years, Alice Cogswell Bemis health was restored sufficiently for her to live a "comparatively normal life", after which the family spent the summers on the East Coast. The family first lived near
Helen Hunt Jackson Helen Hunt Jackson (pen name, H.H.; born Helen Maria Fiske; October 15, 1830 – August 12, 1885) was an American poet and writer who became an activist on behalf of improved treatment of Native Americans by the United States government. She de ...
and William Jackson on Weber Street. From 1885, they lived at the Judson Moss Bemis House on Cascade Avenue. Judson Moss Bemis lived in the home several months a year and conducted business and lived the rest of the year in Boston. She lived a life of a child of wealthy parents, having attended private schools in Colorado Springs, spent the summers on the East Coast and, with her sister Maude and her mother, studied and traveled in Europe in 1896. Taylor enjoyed playing tennis, riding horses, picnicking in the canons and at Garden of the Gods and ice skating. She attended parties given by the Bells at Briarhurst and the Palmers at Glen Eyrie and formed the "Cheap and Hungry Dances" with her sister and girlfriends. Taylor had a lifetime enjoyment of reading aloud. She and several of her friends formed a reading club and read aloud and discussed articles from the ''
Atlantic Monthly ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 ...
'' magazine or books.


Personal life

Alice Bemis married Frederick Morgan Taylor, a stockbroker, in 1903. He enjoyed camping, hunting and fishing. The couple camped, with few comforts, in the
Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in great-circle distance, straight-line distance from the northernmost part of Western Can ...
and
Adirondack Mountains The Adirondack Mountains ( ) are a massif of mountains in Northeastern New York which form a circular dome approximately wide and covering about . The region contains more than 100 peaks, including Mount Marcy, which is the highest point in Ne ...
. and the couple had an adopted daughter named Alice Doree, who lived in Maine as an adult. Taylor collected rare books and books on western Americana. Some of her rare books included A 1545 edition of ''
Orlando Furioso ''Orlando furioso'' (; ''The Frenzy of Orlando'') is an Italian epic poem by Ludovico Ariosto which has exerted a wide influence on later culture. The earliest version appeared in 1516, although the poem was not published in its complete form ...
'', a
Pierre de Ronsard Pierre de Ronsard (; 11 September 1524 – 27 December 1585) was a French poet known in his generation as a "Prince des poètes, prince of poets". His works include ''Les Amours de Cassandre'' (1552)'','' ''Les Hymnes'' (1555-1556)'', Les Disco ...
First Folio published in 1584, and autographed copy of
William Congreve William Congreve (24 January 1670 – 19 January 1729) was an English playwright, satirist, poet, and Whig politician. He spent most of his career between London and Dublin, and was noted for his highly polished style of writing, being regard ...
's '' Love for Love'', and 2 bound volumes of British poets letters and signatures. She also collected Hispanic Santos made in
New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
and
Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
and Southwestern Native American artifacts. Taylor had a keen interest in architecture and early American glass. After her husband had died, Taylor donated an organ and provided monies for ongoing concerts at the Grace Church as a memorial to her husband. The Taylors built a home and lived at 1238 Wood Avenue and built a summer estate, called La Foret, in Black Forest on 500 acres. The main building, Ponderosa Lodge, was built in 1928 by Jacques Benedict. Her husband died before he visited the property. In his honor, Taylor built the Taylor Memorial Chapel, designed by John Gaw Meem, in 1929. The Bemis-Taylor Foundation deeded the property to the Colorado Congregation Church following Taylor's death in 1942. It is now known as the Rocky Mountain Conference of the United Church of Christ.


Philanthropy

Her mother "had the heart and will to bring all the happiness she could to others" and her father "valued the 'blessedness of drudgery'". As a result, Taylor had a "devotion to duty" that spurred her philanthropic interests and desire to make the world better for her fellow man and woman. She had the ability to "envision the lofty enterprise and at the same time to execute the daily kindness." Judson Moss Bemis donated $25 million over the course of his life and was quoted as saying: "If you stand all your life for right principles and leave your country better than you found it, your day in the world has been worthwhile." It was said of her philanthropy: "There must be three things which helped to shape the major philanthropies of Alice Bemis Taylor's life: an inner compulsion to share what she had; the Bemis Building Bug, as Mrs. Taylor herself described it, with its fascination for architecture; and a fervent desire to bring beauty to the lives of those who had little or none." She founded the Bemis-Taylor Foundation in 1927 to manage her multiple philanthropic projects. It was dissolved in 1974.


Colorado College

Taylor donated monies to Colorado College. She funded improvements in college buildings, provided scholarships, and was the first woman trustee of Colorado College, 1934–1937. The Colorado College Special Collections benefited from a donation by Taylor of 290 works and letters by writers and poets from the United States and Britain. A dining hall, built off of Bemis Hall, was constructed in 1956 and named for Alice Bemis Taylor.


Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center

With $600,000, she funded the 1936 construction of the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center and provided a $400,000 donation for an endowment. It was built on property owned by the Broadmoor Art Academy. Constructed during the
Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
, Taylor saw the project as a means of employment for unemployed laborers. Over its history, the multi-use center has been used as a gallery, theatre, museum, research library, art school and music room. Taylor donated her extensive Indian and Hispanic art and her collection of 6,000 volumes of Americana. She envisioned a place that would be accessible to all people, with no admission charge.


Colorado Springs Day Nursery

In 1897, the day nursery was founded by Taylor and other Colorado Springs women. Taylor funded the construction of the Tudor building in memory of her mother. On Christmas 1923, the building opened and $20 gold pieces ($250 in 2009 dollars) were handed out to workers who had constructed the building. It was then called the Colorado Springs Day Nursery and Taylor was its president.


Child Guidance Clinic

Taylor founded the Child Guidance Clinic for the psychiatric care of children. To fund the clinic, Taylor created the Bemis-Taylor Foundation in December 1927. The clinic opened in January 1928. In 1964, the clinic was renamed the Pikes Peak Mental Health Clinic when it began treating adults. In 1970, it was renamed the Pikes Peak Family Counseling and Mental Health Center.


Other

She provided the largest contributions by an individual to the city's Community Chest and provided anonymous donations to those in need. She provided an endowment for the Glockner Hospital, now Penrose Hospital, maternity ward. She helped fund the purchase of the Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site.


Colorado Women's Hall of Fame

In 2010, Taylor was inducted into the
Colorado Women's Hall of Fame The Colorado Women's Hall of Fame is a non-profit, volunteer organization that recognizes women who have contributed to the history of the U.S. state of Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the ...
.


Death

On June 23, 1942, Taylor died; She was buried next to her husband at Evergreen Cemetery. Her estate left a total of $15.7 million to Colorado College, the Fine Arts Center, Day Nursery, and Bemis-Taylor Foundation. Her daughter, Doree, received $75,000 in Bemis stock, her mother's home and its furnishings.


Notes


References


Further reading

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Alice Bemis
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
People from Colorado Springs, Colorado 1877 births 1942 deaths People from Newton, Massachusetts