I submitted a story about León previously. I hope it was received ok.

John Colen

BRILLIANCE

Brilliance

Seems to come

At a cost

The most brilliant minds

Seem to come with a dark side

It is almost as if it would be a crime

To allow brilliance to be mixed with ordinary

Elements such as…

Compassion

Forgiveness

Laid back demeanors

And

Common social skills

NO

Brilliant minds have no time for these

The brilliant have no time to please

The most intelligent among us tend to find no use

For silly, frivolous attributes

Tolerance levels are quite low

Empathy is of little use

And

Kind emotions are a waste

Of their extremely valuable brain space

so

We must allow brilliance to shine

Unchecked

Unencumbered

And without reservation

For only then will any nation

Benefit from brilliance

I was once informed

And trust me, this is not the norm

A seventh-grade teacher explained

That someone, “I won’t say the name”

Was smarter than him IN SEVENTH GRADE

That brand new teacher unafraid

Inspired BRILLIANCE by understanding

How to keep the mind expanding

But wait there’s more

 so much more in store

This young man would grow

And wanted to know

What it would be like to be the first in his family

To obtain numerous collegiate degrees

AA, BA, 2 Masters in one year, then a PhD

BRILLIANCE

Aided by

RESILLIENCE

And although he had it rough

The degrees were not enough

He had so much tenacity

That he succeeded

Much more often than he failed

So much so that he was hailed

As a king

ROARING

 A. Lion

In the jungle

RUMBLE, RUMBLE YOUNG MAN RUMBLE

BRILLIANCE

mind told him to fight

BRILLIANCE

toiling “onward, upward through the night”

BRILLIANT

Effervescent light

That light which cannot be dimmed

There was and is much more in him

Than you ever saw

Or ever will see

He believed in himself

He wanted to be

The best

So he would not rest

Until he mastered

Whatever objective he was after

Excelling in life chapter upon chapter

Preparing for his “ever after”

His brilliance inspired him to fight

Enabled him to greater heights

Than some have ever dreamed of seeing

While he was busy

Active

Being

All that he was to become

BRILLIANT

Dazzling

Like the sun

Fearless

Challenged by no one

Or thing

He marched and heard “Let Freedom Ring”

Those famous words from Dr. King

Upon arriving

After driving

From the far west to the far east

Travel was a beast to say the least

Undeterred and refusing defeat

He was there in time to hear Mahalia sing

And that’s very interesting

But he wouldn’t stop

And he wouldn’t quit

Until he climbed

Kilimanjaro’s summit

He reached the top of Uhuru Peak

While teaching English, so to speak

He wooed a wife

And then his life

Was so much better

Better than ever

With wife in tow

He knew that he would have to go

Home to the states

No time to waste

He had so very much to give

He had such a full life to live

World traveler Mentor

Writer Scholar

Punchmaker Merchant

Linguist Author Chef Preacher

Philanthopist Photographer Musician Teacher

BRILLIANT AND EFFECTIVE LEADER

Chess master, Voracious Reader

Articulate, Meticulous

Quick witted resilient

Articulate and BRILLIANT –

Now I look back on his life

BRILLIANCE

Fought for what was right

BRILLIANCE

Would come at a price

BRILLIANCE

Plights and awful fights

But the BRILLIANT we forgive

Their uncaring, their unfeeling

Sometimes, How they choose to live

And

At times we find

That the cost of a BRILLIANT mind

Is our most precious asset…time                       

But when everything is said and done

We know that victories are often won

By the man who was once a brilliant child

Not by the meek, nor by the mild

So we honor a man today

BRILLIANT

And in his own way

He cared enough to get it done

He was a champion for everyone

He fought each battle tirelessly

When no one else would do it, he

Did dirty work

He never shirked

No backing down

He stuck around

He stood his ground

Through thick and thin

A. Lion to the very end

©2014 – Nampombe Dollora Nakadori Yvette Suzánne Marie Taylor

I cannot say enough about uncle Simba’s inner strength, energy, presence, courage and convictions.  He certainly lived what he preached regardless of how it might look or be perceived, as long as he was seeking out what he thought to be right for him or those he cared for.  He was unconventional, even in the choosing of the name Simba “Lion”, a symbolic of who he was; strong, sure of himself, and a man with a “roar”.  

When he loved, it didn’t matter that he would have to travel for almost 10,000 miles now and then.  It didn’t matter that he came from a very different culture than Tanzania, and there were risks or concerns of his cultural differences. This was unconventional back in the 1970's. None of it mattered as long as he could meet and be with the love of his life, Aunt Pheno, who he clung together with until his last breath.  And I witnessed his love to his daughters, Nampombe & Hellen, that was insurmountable.

When his father, Robert Taylor Sr. (aka Babu) was stricken with a stroke, and became in need of help to run his business,  Uncle Simba relinquished his prestigious job, and worked with his father to enhance the family business that lasted long after his dad passed away.  This was another example of how unconventional he was.

When Los Angeles went up in flames during the Rodney King riots of 1992 with gang bangers touting their guns in the air, and looters breaking in stores, I witnessed Uncle Simba’s courageous acts where not only did he tell them to put their guns away or stop looting, but he made them “obey” and refrain from their intentions.  Yes, this was unconventional thing to do then, and still unconventional thing to do today.

He personally (together with Aunt Pheno) helped relatives, nephews/nieces/children-at-large and non relatives as well with encouragement to pursue education formal and informal is another thing he is remembered for.  In my opinion, theirs was unconventional.  I still recal his genius and natural way he taught me the biblical “Be Attitudes” when I was around 8 years old, and remember how he would intellectualize the same passage to all kinds of mental-gymnastics with when I was an adult.  And it goes without saying, I just cannot say enough about his support during my formal educational pursuits….  

Although he is gone, we will never forget the tenacity, strength and “roar” of uncle Alvin Leon Leon Taylor, a human Simba...

Uncle Leon called me over & over again and left me several messages to let me know that his first born daughter,  Helen was in town.  
Then I got multiple calls from Aunt Shelia and Aunt JoeAnn that cousin Helen was in town and that they wanted me to fly down to visit as well.

I caught a flight on Southwest airlines from Sacramento, CA to Los Angeles CA and Aunt Sheila and I took Helen to Disneyland for her first visit there.

This photo was taken at Aunt JoeAnns house just before leaving to Disneyland. 

Uncle Leon called me over & over again and left me several messages to let me know that his first born daughter,  Helen was in town.  
Then I got multiple calls from Aunt Shelia and Aunt JoeAnn that cousin Helen was in town and that they wanted me to fly down to visit as well.

I caught a flight on Southwest airlines from Sacramento, CA to Los Angeles CA and Aunt Sheila and I took Helen to Disneyland for her first visit there.

This photo was taken at Aunt JoeAnns house just before leaving to Disneyland. 

I shot this photo of grandmother during one of her hospital admissions. 
Grandmother used to always say, " I want my flowers while I'm alive".

So as the story goes, I didn't have the money at the time to go to the flourist so I phoned grandmother and told her that I was going to pick her some flowers out of the neighbors yard so that she could have her flowers while she was alive. 
And she told me, " DON'T YOU DO IT"!!!
But, I DID IT ANYWAYS :D.  Those flowers that you see in this photo came from the neighbors yard.  And when I got to the hospital and handed them to grandmother I told her to hold up the stolen property so I could get her picture and when she did, I snapped this photograph. 

And if Grandmother only knew that this was the photo that Uncle Leon chose to put on her orbituary, she would have barried me alive.  

This is a true story.
By:  Jan Taylor 

Uncle Simba as I called him has left a mark in my life so big and significant that it will never ever be erased. The space here is not long and wide enough for me to describe just how much he meant to me.  The picture here of course was when he walked me down the isle in 2000. It was a great honor for me and Kelvin to have him walk me down the isle. For those who knew him well, we know that he loved, loved to celebrate and be part of "mile stones" in everyone's life. He shares the same birthday with our son Zion and he always wanted to celebrate with Zion who he nicknamed KiliKili.... We will miss hearing that name from Zion's babu Simba...Well Uncle Simba we will miss you...gone but definately not forgotten! 

Nampombe, this was just after my graduation... Your dad being one of the people who inspired me a lot, he organized a party and special gift while visiting Erica and Lomba. He always sent emails to encourage me. He was a friend, a mentor and an uncle to me. He touched so many lives and will be missed dearly, but he will always be in our hearts. Lets cherish all good things he did to all of us. Pole sana....

How I wished that I could hear my father's voice again.  There have been times when I close my eyes and it seems as though he is nearby...I remember conversations we've had and listening to the sound of his voice reverberate throughout any house, auditorium or church.  I am so thankful to Charron Ricks for providing this clip of my father in our backyard.  This is a wonderful reminder of his vibrant personality and the way he enjoyed being the MC during so many different types of gatherings.  

I will watch this clip again and again.  I hope you enjoy this small glimpse of the essence of Mzee Simba.

Indeed in Africa it takes a village to raise a child, but in California, it takes the support of Uncle Simba aka Alvin  Leon Taylor to get children through their education goals. We will miss his 'tough love' and passion for education. His counsel and support in all education matters and events made a big impact in our children and our own success.

He was a father, a teacher, a leader and a friend to everyone he came across from Africa.

He will be forever missed. 

RIP Uncle Simba.