Pat Taylor Discusses His Literary Debut, Fourth Down and Goal To Go
On UNC-TV’s North Carolina Bookwatch,
Friday, November 3, at 9:30 PM & Sunday, November 5, at 5 PM

Part history and part autobiography, Fourth Down and Goal To Go is a humorous and telling narrative by North Carolina native Pat Taylor. A popular local storyteller and former politician, Taylor has recorded his life in the Old North State through tales that stretch back as far as the Great Depression.

Incorporating Southern wit and wisdom, Taylor’s accounts will spark laughter and recognition among any reader who grew up in the American South during the past seventy-five years. Reminiscing to a time when life was simpler, in Fourth Down and Goal To Go he elaborates on everyday details such as telephone party lines, ice wagons and milk delivery services.

In an all-new episode of North Carolina Bookwatch, premiering Friday, November 3, at 9:30 PM, Taylor joins host D.G. Martin to expound on many of the events that have shaped North Carolina into the state it is today. Commenting on parts of North Carolina history rendered in his new book, he explains the present economic, political and social atmosphere of the region.

Still active in politics, law and academics, Taylor believes that studying our history is the key to a successful future. “There’s something in our North Carolina Constitution that says, ‘a frequent recurrence to fundamental principles is essential to preserve the blessings of liberty,’ or something very close to that,” says Taylor. “And I wish we could go back to those fundamental principles.”

An eloquent infusion of history, politics and heritage, Fourth Down and Goal to Go is a must-read for anyone who holds a memory of the Tar Heel State.

Pat Taylor was born in Wadesboro, NC, in 1924. He went on to receive undergraduate and legal degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and to serve in both World War II and the Korean War. Among many accomplishments, he served as Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, Chairman of the State Board of Mental Health, and Lieutenant Governor. He and his wife, Elizabeth, continue to live in Wadesboro.

Don’t miss D.G. Martin’s all-new interview with Pat Taylor on North Carolina Bookwatch, Friday, November 3, at 9:30 PM, with an encore episode airing Sunday, November 5, at 5 PM, only on UNC-TV!

During this season of North Carolina Bookwatch, guests also include: Will Blythe (To Hate Like This is to be Happy Forever), John Hart (The King of Lies), Sarah Dessen (Just Listen), Kristin Henderson (While They’re at War), David Payne (Back to Wando Passo), John Hope Franklin (Mirror to America), Leah Stewart (The Myth of You and Me), Andrew Britton (The American), Allan Gurganus (New Stories of the South), Tom Carlson (Hatteras Blues), Bill Smith (Seasoned in the South), William Leuchtenburg (The White House Looks South), Dot Jackson (Refuge), Art Chansky (Blue Blood),  Mark Ethridge (Grievances), Paul Leonard (Music of a Thousand Hammers: Inside Habitat for Humanity), Angela Davis-Gardner (Plum Wine), Lee Smith (On Agate Hill), and Charles Frazier (Thirteen Moons).

For more information about additional series guests and airdates, plus, the all-new Bookwatch blog and online book club, please visit: www.unctv.org/ncbookwatch.

Funding for North Carolina Bookwatch is provided by UNC-TV members and by Quail Ridge Books and Music, Raleigh’s independent, full service bookstore, bringing readers and writers together since 1984.

North Carolina Bookwatch is part of UNC-TV’s ongoing commitment to produce programs for and about North Carolina. UNC-TV is the statewide 11-station broadcast network of the University of North Carolina. For more information, please visit www.unctv.org/ncbookwatch.

For more information about North Carolina Bookwatch and UNC-TV’s other local productions, please visit our website at www.unctv.org.

—UNC-TV—