Marlon Taylor, a second-year Master of Business Administration student majoring in strategy, died over Christmas break.
Mendoza graduate students were notified of Taylor’s passing over the holiday break, while the rest of campus was informed in an email sent Thursday afternoon by vice president for student affairs Fr. Gerry Olinger.
Taylor grew up in Chicago and received his bachelor’s degree in industrial systems engineering from the University of Missouri-Columbia. During undergrad, he raised over $30,000 as treasurer for the University of Missouri-Columbia’s chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers.
Last summer, Taylor interned with at International Business Machines as a senior financial analyst.
In a Q&A with Poets & Quants, Taylor was described as “ambitious, caring, curious and innovative. [An] intelligent, intuitive analyst who isn’t afraid to make data-driven decisions.”
Taylor said his experiences with the Mendoza program reinforced his early impressions of Notre Dame. “When I came to Notre Dame, I felt a sense of pride and peace. How fortunate I am to attend such an institution. The football games are everything I would have imagined them to be. Last but not least the people are welcoming and steady.”
Taylor’s funeral will be held Tuesday at 10 a.m. at the Leak and Sons Funeral Home in Matteson, Illinois.
The mass in honor of Taylor will be held next Tuesday at 5:15 p.m. in the Basilica. Olinger will preside and assistant vice president for campus ministry, Fr. Pete McCormick, will preach.
