Contact: James Carskadon

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State alumnus, benefactor and businessman William A. “Lex” Taylor III will address the university’s nearly 1,500 graduates on Dec. 13.

Taylor, chairman and CEO of The Taylor Group of Companies, Inc., will speak at MSU’s 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. commencement ceremonies at Humphrey Coliseum. Doors open at 8 a.m. for the morning ceremony and 2 p.m. for the afternoon ceremony, with processionals beginning at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., respectively. Graduates and their guests are encouraged to arrive early to ensure smooth entry through the coliseum’s metal detectors.

The morning ceremony will feature degree candidates from the colleges of Architecture, Art and Design; Arts and Sciences; and Education; as well as those receiving University Studies degrees through the Complete 2 Compete program. The afternoon ceremony will recognize degree candidates from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and its School of Human Sciences; College of Business and the Richard C. Adkerson School of Accountancy; James Worth Bagley College of Engineering and the Dave C. Swalm School of Chemical Engineering; College of Forest Resources; and College of Veterinary Medicine.

A 1977 graduate of MSU’s College of Business, Taylor has spent most of his life involved in the family-owned business, Louisville-based Taylor Machine Works. He was named chairman of the board in 2008 and has overseen the company as it has grown and diversified, resulting in the formation of The Taylor Group of Companies, Inc. The company is one of the only privately held manufacturers of industrial lift trucks operating in America today. He is currently the chair of the Mississippi Economic Council, the state’s chamber of commerce. Other business leadership includes previously serving as chairman of the Mississippi Manufacturers Association and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers.

Taylor has served as treasurer on the MSU Foundation Board of Directors, as well as chairman of the College of Business Advisory Board. He was named the College of Business’ Alumnus of the Year in 2007. The Taylor Group of Companies and the Taylor family enjoy a long history of supporting Mississippi State, helping make possible the Taylor Solid Mechanics Laboratory in Carpenter Hall and the W.A. Taylor Jr. Auditorium in the Leo Seal Family Business Complex among other generous philanthropy.

For more on MSU’s fall commencement ceremonies, visit www.registrar.msstate.edu/students/graduation.

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.