Norm Taylor and Katie Grantham’s first date was at The Huckleberry restaurant in Louisville, Colorado, close to where they both lived. The date lasted three hours, and “we hit it off right away,” Norm says.
Their second date was in New Zealand.
“She told me, ‘I'm going to New Zealand with the people who live across the street from me,’” Norm remembers. “I had backpacked through New Zealand after my first wife died, so I brought my computer to show her some of the pictures I had taken there. At the end of our lunch, she said, ‘Well, why don't you come to New Zealand with me?’”
It was the beginning of a love affair that led to a seven-year marriage filled with travel and more adventures, until Katie—then Katie Taylor, after she and Norm got married—was diagnosed with an advanced stage of uterine cancer in 2020. She died shortly afterward.
Her sudden diagnosis and rapid decline left Norm devastated but also ignited in him a desire to honor her memory in a meaningful way. Norm chose to channel his grief into a legacy that could provide hope and make a lasting difference for future generations of women facing uterine cancer.
Endowing a chair
Norm, now 86, worked with the CU Anschutz Office of Advancement to create the Katie Taylor Memorial Endowed Chair in Gynecologic Oncology, utilizing his individual retirement account (IRA) in two different ways. Through a qualified charitable distribution (QCD), he donates what would otherwise be the taxable distribution from the IRA directly to the endowment; with a beneficiary designation, the endowment will receive his IRA funds once he passes away.
The fund supports the work of chairholder and University of Colorado Anschutz Cancer Center member Bradley Corr, MD, a leader in gynecologic oncology whose research focuses on personalized treatments for uterine cancer. The endowed chair provides essential resources to explore new, innovative treatment options that could change the course of the disease and improve outcomes for women facing this life-changing diagnosis.
“Norm is an outstanding human being,” Corr says. “He sees his ability to help others through his love for Katie. His philanthropy to gynecologic oncology provides the most valuable thing a clinical scientist like myself can ask for—time. This time allows me the ability to focus my efforts on clinical research as well as patient care. That benefit trickles down directly to the patients we see and all those who benefit from the research done here at the University of Colorado. Norm is genuinely fascinated by the work we do, looking at carcinosarcoma cells under the microscope and asking intelligent questions about the next steps in cancer research.”
“I hope that in the future, if a woman comes in with stage IV uterine cancer, that it's not a death sentence—that they will have treatment,” Norm adds. “Through the philanthropy, she will live on. It makes me feel good, because I know that every day, they're making they're making progress in cancer research.
‘Immediate and lasting importance’
In September 2024, members of Katie Taylor’s family, including her brother, Jesse Grantham, came to CU Anschutz for an event to celebrate the creation of the endowed chair. During the proceedings, Jesse shared a heartfelt tribute to Katie.
“Katie had the wonderful ability to easily meet new people wherever she went, and her life was filled with great laughter and friendships,” Jesse said. “She and Norm donated their time and efforts to supporting music, sports and the arts. It should be said her life was well lived. It is hard to express how much it means to all of us at the moment, but Norm’s contribution to fighting this deadly disease will have immediate and lasting importance for women’s health here in Colorado and beyond.”
Featured image: Norm Taylor shakes hands with Bradley Corr, MD, the Katie Taylor Memorial Endowed Chair in Gynecologic Oncology.
