Mary Ward Taylor received her master’s degree in Learning Handicapped from Pepperdine University.

Over her long career she received accolades as a special day class teacher in the inner city of Los Angeles, a teacher at one of eight LAUSD Diagnostic Learning Centers, and as a Resource Specialist Teacher at Paseo del Rey Magnet School.

She contributed to the Science lab at Paseo del Rey by painting a panoramic mural of the nearby Ballona wetlands and many of the birds who live there. She often shared her music, sense of humor, and art skills with the general education students as well as her own students.

She was honored for her work by the Westchester Chamber of Commerce as an Outstanding Teacher of the Year. She has one son, Timothy Taylor, who is a bilingual School Psychologist with LAUSD.