Dr. Ethel Taylor (nee Watson) was born in 1908 in Zimbabwe (Rhodesia), Southern Africa and emigrated in 1912 as a small girl with her family to southwestern Alberta. In 1928, she married a school teacher, L. Hugh Taylor. In 1940, she moved to Red Deer with her husband and family. She became exceptionally active in community affairs. She was a founding member of the Red Deer Women's Institute, Red Deer Local Council of Women, Red Deer Hospital Auxiliary, Alberta Council on Aging, Red Deer Kindergarten Society, Red Deer Film Society, Red Deer Allied Arts Council, Red Deer Craft Centre, Social Welfare Committee, Social Planning Council, Family Service Bureau, Indian Association of Alberta and Indian-Eskimo Association. She frequently served as president or chairperson of the local organizations and later became active on a provincial and national level. In 1961, Ethel Taylor was elected as the first woman alderman for the City of Red Deer. She became active with a number of civic boards and organizations, including the Red Deer Public Library Board, Red Deer Twilight Homes Foundation, Red Deer Health Unit, Red Deer and District Archives Committee, G.H. Dawe Community Centre Management Board, and Red Deer and District Social Service Board. She ran as a candidate for the New Democratic Party, twice provincially and twice federally. In 1977, Ethel Taylor was named Red Deer Citizen of the Year. In 1979, the City of Red Deer named a new roadway system and bridge in her honour. In 1982, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws Degree from the University of Alberta. Dr. Taylor passed away on May 24, 1989 in Calgary.