Their champion: For honoree Dr. David Tayloe, children are his mission

It has been said that you judge a community by how it takes care of those who are least able to take care of themselves.

And if that theory applies to people, too, Dr. David Tayloe has millions of North Carolina children who would call him a hero.

The Goldsboro Pediatrics founder and doctor has made it his life's work to make sure children not only in Wayne County, but across the country, have access to the care they need.

And it doesn't look like he is even close to retiring from the mission that made him a shoe-in for the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce's 2013 Cornerstone Award.

And don't think he missed the chance to not only thank the community for its support of children's issues -- but to spur its members to do more.

That's how it works when you have a passion.

Dr. Tayloe was surprised to be the honoree at Tuesday night's banquet. Mostly because his family did a first-class job of making sure he thought he was there for another reason.

But he should not be surprised at the thousands of Wayne County families, local leaders and others who look to him as a role model and an example of just how much of a difference one person who is not afraid to speak up can make.

He probably is going over in his mind right now the number of people who should have been standing up there with him. That's what selfless people do when someone honors their hard work.

He probably is thinking back to the years that have gone into building his practice and creating the framework that allows any child to get the care he or she needs without regard to socioeconomic status.

And, it will surprise no one, he is also likely thinking about the work that still needs to be done.

A cornerstone is someone who has made such a difference in his or her community that he or she has fundamentally changed it forever.

For Dr. Tayloe, that influence goes way beyond the county lines.

And there is more motivation than simply altruism that keeps this doctor fighting.

A proud father and grandfather, he understands just how precious a gift a child is to a family.

The work he does he does for them, his patients and for the millions of children he will never meet.

That's what makes him so special and why there couldn't be a better pick for this county's highest honor.

Published in Editorials on January 16, 2013 1:19 PM