Taylor Kirkpatrick

"The first library I knew was the Ross Branch in Cherry Creek. I remember being thrilled that the books were at my eye level, and that I was allowed to touch them. Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar had recently become a big hit - the story features a caterpillar who devours a wide variety of things before pupating and eventually emerging as a butterfly.  It was celebrated because it explores several educational themes and delights every kid because the caterpillar has eaten through each page and left a hole that is exactly the size of a 5-year-olds finger.  However, today it serves as an apt metaphor for my experience; I fed my interests at the DPL, and from that diet I emerged more perceptive and more inquisitive about life (I am still working on the beautiful butterfly part).  Libraries matter – they make communities and their constituents better.  This is an overdue (see what I did there?) thank you to the DPL for nourishing my curiosity."

Taylor, President & CEO at Babson Farms, shares his favorite books in order of when he read them and when they impacted him:

1. Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton
2. The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay
3. Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing
4. The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt
5. The Little Snake by A.L. Kennedy

Taylor's favorite library quote?