BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The women of Zeta Phi Beta plan to name a Community Service Award in honor of their sorority sister and Illinois Wesleyan University alumna Monica Taylor, class of 1988. The first ceremony will be held on Saturday, April 10 from 2-4 p.m. in the Davidson Room of Illinois Wesleyan’s Memorial Center (104 University St., Bloomington).
Taylor, who passed on Oct. 21, 2009, was the director of Illinois Wesleyan’s Multicultural Affairs for 11 years before she joined State Farm Insurance Companies in 2004. While on campus, she supported the Black Student Union, the Council for Latin American Student Enrichment and the service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega. With her help, the Kwanzaa program and the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Gospel Festival were established and organized.
In 2008, Taylor was recognized by the Normal Human Relations Commission for her dedication to improving cooperative and respectful relations among diverse groups in the community and was the recipient of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Award. She was also awarded the 2008 Spirit of State Farm honor for Community Service.