What's their Secret

By Reed Thornburg     1/17/12 6:00pm

Few words instill more dread in the average Rice student than "8 a.m." It's a time slot reserved for the most popular teachers and the most popular subjects. The result: armies of sullen students that perform a near-lifeless trudge to the servery every morning looking for something that will get them through the next 50 minutes.

For nearly every student that enters South Servery through the Hanszen side, that something comes from the undeniable presence of Ray Taylor. Sure, caffeine works for a quick boost, but Taylor's soft-spoken smile and sincere small talk as he scans an ID is what really starts the day on a high note.

"I go out of my way to try and remain that [positive]. A man is only as happy as he makes himself feel," explained Taylor. "You're going to be sad at all times if you don't make yourself happy."

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A Houston native, Taylor has been working for Rice University for around 17 years. Before settling into his current position as the morning and lunch ID scanner at South Servery, he worked as a transporter of food from the former "central kitchen" to each of the colleges.

"Right now, with the job that I have, I love doing this," said Taylor with his characteristic positive attitude. "It's fun, man, it's really fun. [The students] give me the spirit to come to work everyday."

A l m o s t e v e r y o n e that hands him an ID on a regular basis can tell you that his honest love of working with students radiates. This becomes especially apparent as Taylor develops unique relationships with such an incredibly large volume of students. He has the extraordinary gift of perceiving volumes about students in the scattered seconds that they pass by him everyday.

"You've got to start with that man in the mirror," Taylor reminds. "That man is you."

Although not a professor in the formal sense, Mr. Taylor does do a lot of subtle teaching. In quick passing phrases, he quietly challenges us to find something we love doing

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