A MAJOR day in Worcester

If you speak to anyone that attended the monument dedication for Marshall W. “Major” Taylor on May 21st, the over arching statement would be, “amazement and timely for a nation that is in a precarious time.”

A sun-filled day that would turn grey and appear as if Mother Nature was about to bless the day’s celebration with showers, she choose to smile and hold back her tears of joy.

It’s been reported that “Major” Taylor moved to Worcester in the fall of 1895 and as written in his autobiography (1928), “I was in Worcester only a very short time before I realized that there was no such race prejudice existing among the bicycle riders there as I had experienced in Indianapolis. When I realized I would have a fair chance to compete against them in race I took on a new lease of life, and when I learned that I could join the Y.M.C.A. in Worcester, I was pleased beyond expression.”

“Major” Taylor faced a field of cyclists that felt that he was not supposed to compete on the same velodrome as them and faced a myriad of dirty tactics and outright hatred simply because of the color of his skin. “Major” had this to say towards his detractors, “Notwithstanding the bitterness and cruel practices of the white bicycle riders, their friends and sympathizers against me, I hold no animosity toward any man. This includes those who so bitterly opposed me and did everything possible to injure me and prevent my success. Many of them have died and when I am called home I shall rest easy, knowing that I always played the game fairly and tried my hardest, although I was not always given a square deal or anything like it. When I am finally run off my feet and flattened by that mighty champion Father Time, the last thought to remain in my mind will be that throughout life’s great race I always gave the best that was in me. Life is too short for a man to hold bitterness in his heart, and that is why I have no feeling against anybody.”

To say that “Major” Taylor was a man of, “determination, moral character and courage,” as mentioned during remarks made by General Dallas C. Brown, Jr., the grandson of “Major” Taylor.



Gen. Brown, Jr. mentioned that “Major” died 2 months prior to his birth and his mother didn’t talk about her famous father often. Why? General Brown, Jr. continued to say that, “she did it out of respect for his life and particularly his sad end of life. She was embarrassed because she received attention and felt that it was undeserved attention.”



When it was time to unveil the statue, three-time Tour de France winner Greg LeMond, three-time Olympic medalist Edwin Moses along with Lynne Tolman and Robert Nasdor, of the Major Taylor Association board of directors, pulled the white and blue parachute that had covered the monument to a rousing applause.

It is a marvelous and beautiful monument and I encourage you to see it for yourself located at the Worcester Public Library located at 3 Salem Square.