Taylor, Major

Extract

Taylor, Major (26 November 1878–21 June 1932), bicycle racer, was born Marshall Walter Taylor near Indianapolis, Indiana, the son of Gilbert Taylor, a coachman, and Saphronia Kelter. As a child, he became a close friend of Daniel Southard, a boy his age who was a member of the wealthy white family that employed his father. The Southards provided Taylor with his first bicycle and treated him as their son. When they decided to move to Chicago, they invited Taylor to go with them, but his mother did not allow him to go. He took a job delivering newspapers, which gave him the opportunity to ride his bicycle daily and gain expertise and strength in the process....