Bob Taylor
from an email

I am Bob Taylor. I was born on June 13, 1937 to Bennie Taylor. Her first husband, a man named Bowlin, died of pneumonia. Bryan Bowlin was my half-brother and died in the school explosion. He was 12 years old and died along with two cousins, David Scott and Earl Scott.

Aunt Bertha Scott, wife of Jeff Scott, and my mom were outside the school waiting for the three boys to take them to get Easter baskets and new garments. I suppose that they were waiting in one of the cars pictured in front of the school building.

My mother never talked much about the disaster and outside of the little wooden trunk with some of Bryan's possessins and the 8X10 framed photo that always hung on the wall (the photo in the memorial) I never thought much about Bryan in that I never knew him. After looking at the pictures, and realizing that I was in one of those cars (in utero) the story has had a profound impact on me. As a parent and now a grandparent I can only imagine the anguish felt by my mother as she and aunt Bertha witnessed the explosion and walked struggled through the debris searching for their children. Uncle Bill Scott, David's father found all of the boys. He died prematurely of complications of excessive alcohol consumption.

I remember him to be one of the kindest, gentleness man that I ever knew. Mom had me to take care of some three months later and gave birth to my sister, Sharon, some three years later.

Aunt Bertha had a son, Clyde, and a daughter, Sylvia, to take care of and I suppose that gave them purpose to continue life. Sylvia's daughter, Sandy Duncan, gave Aunt Bertha's life a real purpose in that from a very early age, Sandy took dance lessons eventually going to broadway, television and movies. Aunt Bertha was with her every summer spent in Dallas for dance lessons. Sylvia would have been in the school that day but was in Henderson at a typewriting competition. I don't think that Clyde was in school then.

I recall him as a hero on the New London football team when I was a pre-schooler. He died prematurely of lung cancer. Mom said that Uncle Bill stated after the funeral service for David that he felt like just walking down the road and never coming back. In his way, he did. Mom, Aunt Bertha, and Sylvia are all dead now. I heard bits and pieces of the story from all of them at one time or the other, but when Sharon, my sister, sent this website to me and I looked through, it the enormity of the disaster struck me.

David and Earl Scott's names are on the memorial; however, Bryan's is not. Mom and dad did not have the money to have it done at that time and it just did not get done. Sylvia talked of having it done and Sharon and I talked about it. We just let it go after mom died in 1987. I am grateful for the work done on the website and appreciate that Bryan in finally memorialized with his contempories.

Thanks to you and all the others responsible,
Bob Taylor