Family and friends of a longtime Wartburg College benefactor and local physical therapist have created a scholarship for civic-minded students preparing for a similar career.

Mary Taylor established the William Maxwell Taylor Endowed Scholarship in honor of her husband, Dr. William “Bill” Taylor, who died Oct. 31. Memorial donations from friends and patients helped grow the fund.

 The scholarship will aid rising juniors preparing for a physical therapy career who have demonstrated a commitment to community service.

“Bill felt strongly that students choosing physical therapy as their career should receive some financial support to attain that goal,” Mary Taylor said. “Our family feels that community service helps young adults become aware of the needs of a community and helping others builds character and the satisfaction of learning to give of oneself.”

Bill Taylor earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Northern Iowa and a graduate degree in physical therapy from the University of Iowa. After the Army captain helped rehabilitate soldiers at Fitzsimons Army Hospital in Denver, Colorado, during the Vietnam War, he returned to Waverly and started Taylor Physical Therapy, a practice he kept for 43 years serving Waverly, Sumner, Nashua and Parkersburg.

He mentored dozens of Wartburg students at his local practice, including some who returned to work in the clinic following graduation.

Bill and Mary Taylor’s three children also are Wartburg graduates. David graduated in 1993, while Sarah and Amy graduated in 1997 and 2002, respectively. The Taylors have made previous gifts in support of the Wartburg-Waverly Sports & Wellness Center and created a scholarship in honor of their children.

“Throughout his long partnership with Wartburg College, Bill showed immense concern for students, for their development as good citizens as well as their growth in the knowledge and skill they would need to care for patients,” said Wartburg President Darrel Colson. “He modeled that kind of leadership and service that we hope all of our students will emulate.”