Mechanical engineering junior Kenneth Taylor was loved by many and deeply impacted those around him with his adventurous spirit, kind heart and passion for the outdoors.
“He lived more life than most people would know a life,” business administration junior Avery Simpson said in a video by Cal Poly Surfrider Foundation. “He was so adventurous and just moved so many people and was involved in so many different outlets. He just really touched everyone that knew him.”
Simpson met Taylor through his involvement with the Surfrider Foundation where he played a fundamental role in the community.
“[He was] such a wonderful, dependable person who always figured everything out and made everyone feel so welcomed. I’m so happy I got to hang out with him for three years doing awesome things,” Kelsey Byrne, biological sciences junior and Surfrider co-president said.
Taylor was also a founding member of the Alpine Club and loved rock climbing. He shared his enthusiasm for climbing with his friends, including Aidan Dillon, a journalism junior he met through the Surfrider Foundation.
“[Climbing] was one of his greatest passions and something he so generously shared with other people, including myself,” Dillon said. “The first time I went outdoor climbing was with him, and I remember it being terrifying being way up there but thinking, ‘I trust this guy more than anyone else I know.’”
Recreation, parks and tourism administration senior Kenneth Bevens first heard about Taylor through his reputation in the outdoor community.
“When I entered the outdoor scene through Vanlife Club, I heard about this mythical other ‘Kenneth’ who was just like me because I was an outdoorsy person who was looking to photograph,” Bevens said.
Bevens later met Taylor for the first time during a wilderness first aid class they took together, and they quickly became friends.
“I felt like we kind of had this bond across time and space a little bit with just our name,” Bevens said.
Together the two were known as “Kenneth Squared,” and Bevens said they often got confused for each other because they were so similar.
“Truly, there’s no person on this earth that I would rather be confused with. I mean, he is perfect, just the most kind and caring friend.” Bevens said.
Taylor’s co-workers at ASI Poly Escapes described him as “a person of incredible technical skill and even more incredible kindness, unmatched wittiness, and a passion for adventure that could inspire anyone,” according to the campus-wide email sent out on April 8.
“He lived his life with an authenticity that was unmatched and a kindness that I will never forget,” former neighbor and childhood friend Danielle McNerney said in a Facebook post.
With his kind and adventurous spirit, Taylor inspired everyone he met.
“I think just going forward, I just want to try to live more like Kenneth,” environmental management and protection sophomore Isabella Paz said.
Kenneth Taylor was deeply loved and left a positive impact on the community.
“We’ll continue to sow his love through the wildflowers we sow and our conversations, through our physical plantings,” general engineering senior Dillon Behling said. “I just look forward to seeing all of that flourish in our community and [to] continue to bring love through his memory and energy forever.”