# CB loses one of our own



## LavaASU (Feb 24, 2014)

We've lost one of our own. Renowned CB member Mike, @mstaylor, left this world yesterday for better place. He helped out LAVA for years as our unofficial rigging consultant and spent many many hours teaching me various things and giving advice. He will be missed very much.


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## dvsDave (Feb 25, 2014)

Our thoughts and hearts go out to the Taylor family. Mike was a great member of the community, offering his expertise to all who asked, and he will be missed greatly.


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## gafftaper (Feb 25, 2014)

We just lost one of CB's most faithful and generous members. Over the last 4 1/2 years Michael Taylor has helped countless people out with his 2840 posts. His posts received 209 likes, a sign that he shared information that was truly valued by the community. Privately he shared advice and friendship with many others including myself.

Please share your thanks and thoughts of MSTaylor here. The CB staff will do our best to pass it along to his loved ones.


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## MNicolai (Feb 25, 2014)

A sobering night indeed here at ControlBooth. Michael was among my favorite CB contributors. I considered him to be one of the most trusted, professional voices here in our niche community. I, and many others, enormously appreciated his time and his expertise which he offered up here for others as they navigate our industry.

I will miss him.


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## ruinexplorer (Feb 25, 2014)

Definitely a sad day for our community and the entertainment community as a whole.


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## josh88 (Feb 25, 2014)

MMicolai summed up my thoughts for sure, it will certainly be different around here without him.


Via tapatalk


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## Wood4321 (Feb 25, 2014)

I spoke with Michael often on Facebook, and enjoyed our rigging discussions. I will miss his presence immensely.


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## Les (Feb 25, 2014)

Wow, this comes as a huge shock. Is there any possibility that we could set up a donation fund for the Taylor family, and/or perhaps make contributions to Behind The Scenes in Michael's name?


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## gafftaper (Feb 25, 2014)

If you are interested in participating in some sort of a group donation send a private message to @dvsDave. We are working on contacting the family in the name of CB.


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## egilson1 (Feb 25, 2014)

RIP mstaylor.

your knowledge and willingness to help others through this forum will be missed.

With sympathy,
Ethan


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## JohnD (Feb 25, 2014)

I was saddened when I read this early this morning, I went back and read a bunch of his posts in remembrance. One that really stuck with me was this:
http://controlbooth.com/threads/3-f...ing-in-this-industry.32994/page-2#post-290392
post @ 21.
I also found this online:

In Memory of Michael S Taylor 1958-2014 | High School Baseball Web


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## avkid (Feb 25, 2014)

What a loss.
55 is way too young.


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## SteveB (Feb 25, 2014)

Saddened by the loss. 

My condolences to his family,

SB


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## gafftapegreenia (Feb 25, 2014)

Such a loss. I'm going to miss him so much. He was truly an asset to our community.


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## soundlight (Feb 25, 2014)

He was one of the most professional voices in our community. He was a true wealth of knowledge. Far too young to go.


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## backstagebadger (Feb 25, 2014)

He will be missed. I may not post a lot, but simply reading what he posted has helped myself and many others to advance in our technical theater interests. Condolences to the family.


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## Dover (Feb 26, 2014)

I am shocked to read this. I enjoyed reading his contributions to the discussions and I will miss his knowledge and well reasoned writing. Unfortunately I never knew him outside of this forum so that is all that I know him by. So I send my condolences to those who counted him among their friends and have lost so much more.

Peace,
Dover


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## gafftaper (Feb 26, 2014)

I have tried to explain to my wife and my "meet space" friends about my "virtual friends", but they don't understand how I could feel like you are my friends. I've never seen most of you in person. I don't even know what 99.9% of you look like. How can I possibly feel like we are friends? But I do. 

Many of us, have been on this site nearly daily for years. We have shared the joy and frustration of thousands of shows together. Helped the clueless and discussed minute details of NEC code. We've kept people safe and perhaps even saved a life or two. Over and over, those of you I have had the chance to meet face to face, have quickly become real life friends. WHY? Why would so many complete strangers find it so easy to connect. The answer is we share a common joy for helping others, growing in our own knowledge, and a love of this virtual space. CB is OURS. WE built it. WE share it. WE protect it. DvsDave may be the one who paid for the domain name, but this isn't really his site and he knows it. It's OUR site. OUR thoughts. OUR community. Our friends. 

Although I never spoke a word to Michael in person, only shared a few private messages with him, never met his wife, never worked with him in person, I'm sad today. Someone who shares my passion for this very special place and community is no longer with us. Someone who loved to share his knowledge and help others, just like we all do, is no longer in our community. I feel sad at the loss of a "stranger" because his passion for what we do here on CB was a strong as mine, and now it's gone from the world. Because we share that passion, for this place and what we do here, we have found that we are not really strangers after all. 

This community will go on, but there will always be something missing without MSTaylor's voice.


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## TheaterEd (Feb 26, 2014)

Very well said Gaff.....

Rest in Peace Mike. It is neat to think though that his contributions to this page will continue helping others for years to come. 
My condolences to his family,

-James-


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## gafftaper (Feb 27, 2014)

TheaterEd said:


> Rest in Peace Mike. It is neat to think though that his contributions to this page will continue helping others for years to come.



That really is amazing when you think of it. Mike left us 5 years worth of advice scattered through 2800 posts, his thoughts, his advice, his passion for teaching and helping others will be forever preserved and available for future generations to read and learn from until the end of the internet. 

I never thought about CB that way. We are not just building a community for today, we are building a legacy for the future. A record of how tech theater was done at the turn of the 21st century. 100 years from now theater students will read our posts and laugh at the insanity of using incandescent lighting, just as we are amused by Lime Light. Imagine if you could go back and read the thoughts of the best people in the tech theater community in 1914, 1814, or just 14! We are building that record for the future. Hundreds of years from now, people will be able to come here and read it all from our silly debate over metric vs imperial measurements to the day we all stopped to mourn the loss of our brother Mike. That's pretty cool.


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## MNicolai (Feb 27, 2014)

gafftaper said:


> That really is amazing when you think of it. Mike left us 5 years worth of advice scattered through 2800 posts, his thoughts, his advice, his passion for teaching and helping others will be forever preserved and available for future generations to read and learn from until the end of the internet.
> 
> I never thought about CB that way. We are not just building a community for today, we are building a legacy for the future. A record of how tech theater was done at the turn of the 21st century. 100 years from now theater students will read our posts and laugh at the insanity of using incandescent lighting, just as we are amused by Lime Light. Imagine if you could go back and read the thoughts of the best people in the tech theater community in 1914, 1814, or just 14! We are building that record for the future. Hundreds of years from now, people will be able to come here and read it all from our silly debate over metric vs imperial measurements to the day we all stopped to mourn the loss of our brother Mike. That's pretty cool.



I like to joke that in 3200 AD, archaeologists will unearth a YouTube server room. Historians will argue for decades about why we were so obsessed with cats.

I can only imagine the forms in which the internet will be preserved over the centuries.


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## Taylormaid920 (Feb 28, 2014)

dvsDave said:


> Our thoughts and hearts go out to the Taylor family. Mike was a great member of the community, offering his expertise to all who asked, and he will be missed greatly.


I can't express how heartwarming & comforting it is to read the thoughts and wishes of those on CB that considered Mike a friend, mentor, and colleague. Mike & I met in high school in 1974 working on the school production of OKLAHOMA. Our paths went different directions after graduation, but crossed again in 1985. We were married a year later and have enjoyed a life full of blessings ever since. 

Mike always lived life on his own terms and was excited to travel to Knoxville to attend the Thomas Engineering truss school this week. Despite spending 3 days in the hospital last week, he was determined to attend with a long-time friend and fellow rigger. Sadly, Monday morning, Danny found that Mike had died peacefully in his sleep. (Long-standing heart disease, folks. Quit smoking, please!) 

Thanks to all of you who took a moment to share in our sorrow. Mike had a great run!

Tammy Taylor 
(wife of mstaylor)


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## Kelite (Feb 28, 2014)

Thank you for sharing Mike with us Tammy, and thank you also for allowing us to contact you directly. May the Lord bring you peace and comfort today and tomorrow. We are one family and extend our hugs and warmest wishes to you-

Keith Kankovsky


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## museav (Mar 1, 2014)

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Tammy and the rest of the Taylor family. As others have said, thank you for sharing Mike us and thank you Mike for sharing with the community, we are all the richer for it.


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## Dionysus (Mar 18, 2014)

My condolences and well wishes to the Taylor's. I myself haven't been active on CB in a few years and happened across this terrible news. I think it really says something that I still remember posts from mike from all those years ago. He was an asset to our community indeed and will be missed by every one of us.
The world would be a better place with more people like mstsylor in it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Todd M. Taylor (Jun 5, 2014)

JohnD said:


> I was saddened when I read this early this morning, I went back and read a bunch of his posts in remembrance. One that really stuck with me was this:
> http://controlbooth.com/threads/3-f...ing-in-this-industry.32994/page-2#post-290392
> post @ 21.
> I also found this online:
> ...



First off, all condolences are more then appreciated. Dad (Mike) truly loved CB as much as he is loved here. 

Second JohnD While this post was sometime in august, it was printed and left for me with in a day or two of his passing. One of the most comforting things I've had through losing him was knowing he was truly proud of me.


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## gafftaper (Jun 5, 2014)

I want to make sure that everyone see's Todd's post in the new member forum as well.


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