NEW ORLEANS --
Phyllis M. Taylor, chairman of Endeavor Enterprises LLC; chairman and chief executive officer of Taylor Energy Company LLC; and chairman and president of the Patrick F. Taylor Foundation, will be named an honorary U.S. Marine in a ceremony at the Marine Corps Support Facility here June 14. Lt.Gen. Steven A. Hummer, commander Marine Forces Reserve and Marine Forces North will preside over the ceremony.
For decades, Taylor and the Taylor Foundation have donated generously to numerous projects in support of Marines and the Marine Corps to include a statue of Gen. John A. Lejeune at the courthouse in Pointe Coupee Parish and the restoration of New Orleans’ very own Molly Marine statue at Elk Place and Canal Street.
The “Honorary Marine" title reinforces the special bond between the American people and the Corps by recognizing individuals in the community who have made extraordinary contributions to the Marine Corps. The title Marine is a revered designation that affords a special distinction to those who earn it. Therefore, only the Commandant of the Marine Corps can officially designate an individual as an Honorary Marine. Since 2011, The Commandant of the Marine Corps, General James Amos, has designated only three civilians with the title. Taylor will become the fourth.
Among the ranks of Honorary Marines are celebrity Chuck Norris; American photographer Joe Rosenthal, who received the Pulitzer Prize for his iconic World War II photograph of the flag raising on Iwo Jima; and French citizen, Gilles Lagin, one of a few non-U.S. citizens to earn the title Honorary Marine for his life-long dedication to preserving the history of the Marines who fought in Belleau Wood during World War I.