Former Nellis chief Taylor dies at 78

Friday, Sept. 19, 1997 | 10:24 a.m.

Two days after learning how to fly the F-4 fighter, Air Force Gen. Zack Taylor, a World War II ace, refueled the jet in mid-flight and, with great coolness and demeanor, landed it in a driving rainstorm.

"It was the most impressive flight I had ever had with any senior officer," said Jim Ab-ra-ham, a lieu-ten-ant colonel and Taylor's instructor pilot at the time. "He had just three prior flights in the F-4 and handled it like a piece of cake. He was just so confident."

It was no joy ride that Taylor and Abraham took from Nellis Air Force Base to the Pentagon on that stormy day in 1966. The day after the flight, Taylor gave a brilliant dissertation to the senior Air Force staff, telling the generals why Nellis should be home to the Tactical Fighter Weapons Command Center.

"That briefing did it -- Nellis got the Fighter Weapons Center," said Abraham, a 32-year Las Vegas resident. "It was typical of his attitude. He got involved and never left things to chance."

R.G. "Zack" Taylor, commanding general at Nellis Air Force Base from 1966 until his retirement in 1971 and a beacon in the Las Vegas business community for more than 20 years, died Thursday of an apparent heart attack in Las Vegas. He was 78.

He had survived nearly 20 years after suffering his first heart attack, long giving advice to many who were at high risk, perhaps saving an untold number of lives.

Taylor was holidaying at the Monte Carlo hotel-casino with his wife and his World War II crew chief, when he died in his sleep. Ironically, Taylor's death occurred on the 50th anniversary of the United States Air Force.

"Beth (his wife) said they had a good day with the reunion and had watched a ball game before turning in," Abraham said. "At 3 a.m., she heard a gasp, then he died."

Services are pending for the 31-year Las Vegas resident who was credited with pulling First Western Savings out of bankruptcy and making it a successful financial institution after taking over as president in the early 1970s.

He later became chairman of the bank that today is part of the Norwest chain.

Local business leaders and other friends on Thursday remembered Taylor as a businessman who always had time to help many causes.

"You'd just be in awe of all of the awards he won for the work he did for many organizations," Abraham said. "He is a man who gave of himself in any way for the benefit of this community. Las Vegas will sorely miss Zack Taylor."

Two-term Nevada Gov. Mike O'Callaghan, a Marine war veteran, remembers Taylor as "a real tiger who spoke with the soft sounds of the South."

"Only last week we lunched together with our friend, Gen. Bill Creech," said O'Callaghan, chairman of the SUN. "It was our regular monthly lunch when we exchanged books we'd read and jokes we'd heard.

"Zack's laugh was infectious and our visits have been highlights in my life."

Jim Cashman Jr., chairman of Cashman Cadillac and a longtime friend, was in Montana Thursday when he got the news.

"Naturally, my father was very saddened because he thought the world of Zack as a friend and as an integral part of this community," said Tim Cashman, president of Cashman Cadillac and also a longtime friend.

"My father said that Zack certainly played a big part in making Las Vegas what it is today."

Cashman echoed his father's feelings, noting: "He was always very active, very upbeat and a real gentleman."

Tim Cashman said Zack stood by his dad and comforted him when another son, James Cashman III, died of heart failure at age 45 while training for a marathon in February 1995.

Taylor, who suffered his first heart attack on Nov. 29, 1977, and a second eight months ago, was a longtime advocate for good heart care and a member of the advisory board of the Heart Institute of Nevada.

In a guest column in the SUN in 1996, Taylor wrote candidly about his heart attack and what it had taught him.

"Our chances of surviving a serious heart attack are greatly enhanced if you have a plan, have a team and have a lot of luck," Taylor wrote. "Have an annual physical, which includes blood chemistry and an EKG. Have a heart stress test. Doctors can often spot trouble in advance from a change in your EKG.

"Dr. John Bowers says that only a third of heart attack victims get ample warning with chest discomfort; another third develop a large heart attack without warning; and the remaining third die suddenly without warning."

His first heart attack occurred after he met with out-of-town friends. They were on the golf course when he felt pains that he thought were indigestion from lunch.

"(That) caused me to remark to my partner that the hamburger and onion had just made a ball in my stomach," Taylor wrote in the SUN, noting that after the heart attack, he had to be shocked back to life.

"My experience then was that of looking down an inverted cone, and it started getting dark from the edge of the cone down toward a point at the end. As the darkness reached the point of the cone, there was a very bright flash and a loud noise."

Taylor later underwent four-way coronary artery bypasses surgery.

"I realize I was a prime candidate (for that heart attack) -- having slightly high blood pressure, being slightly overweight, being hyperactive and existing on a diet high in fat," he wrote.

"The message is: Take care of yourself, avoid the causes (and) most importantly, if you have a strange pain, don't delay. Take some action.

"I followed my own advice for the past 18 1/2 years and Dr. Bill Cavin performed the same operation again this spring. Dr. Cavin told me that he planned to retire within the next 18 years, so I would have to get another surgeon next time."

Born Dec. 23, 1918, in Nashville, Tenn., Taylor graduated from Durham (N.C.) High School -- he was enshrined in the school's hall of fame in 1986 -- and attended Duke University.

Taylor underwent pilot training in September 1941 and was commissioned a second lieutenant on April 29, 1942. He quickly rose through the ranks, becoming a major in 1944.

A P-38 and P-51 pilot, Taylor was credited with six aerial victories and with destroying seven enemy aircraft on the ground during World War II. In 1951, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel.

Taylor served at several bases, including stints in Iceland and at the Pentagon in the 1950s. In the 1960s, he served in Michigan and in Alaska, and was promoted to brigadier general in August 1964.

Taylor arrived at Nellis on July 17, 1966, and assumed command of the 4520 Combat Crew Training Wing. He became the first commander of the USAF Tactical Fighter Weapons Command Center on Sept. 1, 1966.

Abraham said he was in awe by just how fast a learner Taylor was back then.

"When I checked him out on the F-4, I was so impressed with his ability to grasp the tactics and techniques so quickly," Abraham said.

"When we had to go back to the Pentagon, he decided to refuel the plane in flight at night over Oklahoma, even though he had never done that in an F-4. He put the plane in the proper position for the (air) tanker on the first try.

"When we got to Washington, the weather was marginal, and I radioed him that if he would like, I'd fly it in from the back seat. He said 'Jim, put your hands in your lap and stay off the radio.'

"We flew in at 150 mph, 200 feet off the ground with less than a half-mile of visibility and he landed it perfectly. The next day, at the briefing, he exhibited that same confident demeanor. I'll never forget that."

As a command pilot, Taylor had more than 4,000 hours of flying time. Among his decorations were the Legion of Honor, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with 10 oak leaf clusters, the Presidential Citation and the Air Force Commendation Ribbon.

After his military service, he spent 20 years with First Western Savings and retired in the early 1990s. Taylor also was a partner in the Gold Coast hotel-casino.

His many civic duties included being past president of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce.

"He headed the chamber's legislative action committee that I was on and showed me what a general was by his efficient command," said Art Marshall, president of Marshall-Rousso stores of Las Vegas, and a longtime friend.

"He gave us direction and got the job done."

Taylor also was a past president of the United Way of Southern Nevada and director of the National Taxpayers Association and the Nevada Council on Economic Education.

He was a trustee of the Nevada Development Authority, and a member of the Boy Scouts of America, the Boys Club of Southern Nevada, the Civilian-Military Council of Southern Nevada and the Rotary Club.

In 1976, the National Conference of Christians and Jews named Taylor the Distinguished Citizen of the Year. Two years later, the Las Vegas Board of Realtors gave him the President's Award for outstanding service to Clark County.

In 1980, Taylor was named to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority Board.

In 1983, then-Gov. Richard Bryan appointed Taylor to the Commission on Economic Development for the state of Nevada. He served as vice chairman for eight years. That same year, Taylor was appointed to the advisory board of the superintendent of Clark County schools.

He also was appointed in the 1980s to the boards of banks in San Francisco and Beverly Hills. Taylor also served on the board of directors for the United States League of Savings Associations.

Among Taylor's survivors are his wife, Lola Elizabeth (nee White) Taylor; a son, Zachary; a daughter, Elizabeth; and eight grandchildren.