Ways to Give

Rowan Taylor with students

Taylor Makes a Sound Game Plan for Retirement

Like many Mississippi State students, Rowan Taylor is an avid Bulldog baseball fan. But unlike most students who sit in the sunny grandstand areas of Dudy Noble Field, Taylor enjoys the baseball games from his skybox. And at age 80, he’s entitled to his comforts.

Taylor, a retired Jackson real estate lawyer, is back at MSU learning more about one of his favorite subjects—history. And while he’s hard at work in the classroom, his gift annuity is working hard to provide him with a steady income.

“I’m retired now, and I’m dependent on income from my IRA, social security and a few other sources,” said Taylor. “I wanted to continue my support to MSU, but I still needed to maintain my income. A gift annuity lets me do both.”

After returning to school part-time in the spring of 1996, Taylor graduated with his master’s degree in Civil War history following the 1998 fall semester.

John Marszalek, professor of history and a Giles Distinguished Professor at MSU, said Taylor had a party after his graduation. A group of history professors who were there asked him if he planned to continue his education in history.

“Rowan told us he had been thinking about doing just that,” said Marszalek.

“I’ve always been interested in World War II, since I participated in it,” said Taylor. “So now, in the doctoral program, I am studying military history, especially that of World War II.”

It was the war, Taylor recalled, that interrupted his first stint as an MSU student in the early 1940s.
In addition to his undergraduate degree, Taylor went to law school after leaving the Navy and later earned an MBA.

Being back in school after retirement and actively pursuing something that he loves is important to Taylor.

“I’m here for the pleasure of it,” he said. “I don’t care what grades I get, and actually, it doesn’t matter if I get the Ph.D. I don’t need the degree, but it is a goal of sorts.”

Vance Bristow, director of planned giving for the MSU Foundation, feels that by funding a gift annuity, Taylor will achieve yet another goal.

“Because Mr. Taylor designated the proceeds from his annuity, he has ensured that support will continue, even after his death, for causes important to him during his lifetime.”