James E. (Gene) Taylor died Friday, December 8th at Rapid City Regional Hospital.  Gene was born on February 3, 1925 in a sod homestead near Whitten, South Dakota.  His parents, Jim and Inez Taylor, had come from Illinois to Omaha on a train with his brothers and from there to the remote prairie homestead to prove up and begin a new life.  Gene's father had a love of horses and raised and broke wild horses for sale to the military.  As a boy, Gene's job was to break the horses.  When no horses were available to break his Dad would hire him out to neighbors to break their horses.

Gene was a good athlete and a star basketball player on his high school team.  It was during high school that Gene attended a dance in White River, the neighboring town, where he met the love of his life, Jeanne Kell.  When World War II broke out Gene enlisted in the marines, where he was a member of Carlson's Raiders.  Later, he was among the first wave of marines ashore at the battle of Iwo Jima (Easy Company, the Flag Raisers), where he was seriously wounded, but was one of the few survivors. After the war he returned to South Dakota.  He had joined the reserves so that his education would be paid for and he attended the University of South Dakota, graduating with a degree in Broadcasting.

Gene and Jeanne were married in 1946.  In 1950 they had their first son, Tim.

When the Korean conflict began Gene was called back into the military and sent to Korea as a lieutenant in the army.  Again, he saw heavy combat and survived.  Gene was a combat hero in both wars.

Upon his return home after the war, Gene took a job at KOTA AM radio as the Farm and Ranch Director.  Later he would add television duties to his job and was perhaps best known at the time as the host of the Hoedown Jamboree on KOTA  TV on Saturday nights, featuring Buddy Merideth, Polly Johnson, Stringbean Svenson and the Dakota Cowboys.

In 1954, their first daughter, Tamara (Del Sesto – West Lake Village California), was born, and in 1956 their second daughter, Terri (Bowden – Sioux Falls, SD) was born.

In 1960, Gene and a group of co-workers and friends banded together to start a new radio station in Rapid City, KEZU 920-AM (later it became KKLS AM).  Gene was the Managing Partner.  In 1964, Gene sold out and purchased another recent startup radio station in town, KIMM 1150-AM.  Gene was very successful at radio and later added an FM station, KGGG (to become KFXS FM under future ownership).

In 1963, Gene and Jeanne welcomed their second son Trent (Rapid City).

Gene was inducted into the South Dakota Broadcaster's Hall of Fame in 1999. In 2002 he received the Silver Medal Award from the South Dakota Advertising Federation.  He was additionally inducted into the South Dakota Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame and the South Dakota Country Music Hall of Fame.

During his years at KIMM, Gene became well know for his KIMM Hawaiian tours. Many will remember his radio ads starting with, "Come with me to Hawaii"!!!  For many years Gene and Jeanne hosted the annual tours to Hawaii with their good friends Al and Ellen McDonald and developed a great love of the islands.  Towards the end of the tour years they discovered the island of Molokai'i, and for many years they lived on the island during the winters, golfing and partying with a big circle of good friends.

Gene and Jeanne were life-long members of Arrowhead Country Club and were fixtures of the club where they had many good friends.  Both Gene and Jeanne had a passion for golf and traveled the country playing their favorite game.

Gene was well known as a successful, locally involved Rapid City business leader.  He was also known as a well-dressed handsome man who loved driving flashy cars!

Gene is survived by his wife, Jeanne (Anita Jeanne Kell), Tim and Cheryl Taylor, Tammy and Bob Del Sesto and daughters Alyssa and Rebecca, Terri and Al Bowden and children Tyler, Alanna and Holly, and great grandson Milo, and Trent and Sharon Taylor and children Bryana and Dacotah.

No service is planned, however a Celebration of Life will be held Sunday, December 17 from 2:00 – 4:00 pm at Arrowhead Country Club.  Friends are welcome to join the family to remember the life of this remarkable man.

The family requests no flower be sent, rather a donation made to the Humane Society of the Black Hills.