EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE: The Color Keeper, Part 2

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — There is something new at the annual Flag Retirement Ceremony at Oakdale Cemetery. It’s a tremendous show of respect. WWAY’s Daniel Seamans tracked down ‘The Color Keeper’ who created something that gives a new life to Old Glory.

We first met our Extraordinary Person of the Week at Oakdale Cemetery. He volunteers to to keep the gravesite of the originator of finger painting, colorful. And on Flag Day, at Oakdale Cemetery, he is doing something extraordinary again.

At the Flag Retirement Ceremony we find respect.

“We pledge allegiance to the United States of America.”

We find new life for Old Glory. We find proper goodbyes. And we find Tab Taylor.

“This project is one of the requirements to being an Eagle Scout”, Tab Taylor told Daniel Seamans. “It is one of the biggest things in my opinion that goes into becoming an eagle scout because it educates you about business and getting the materials and educates you on working with other people and gives you respect for your community.”

Take a short walk from the Flag Retirement Ceremony and you’ll find our flag’s final resting place. “I hope it has a long life ahead of it,” Tab said of the finished project.

Tab is a Life Scout. In order to become an Eagle Scout, he would need to complete a special project.
He chose to fulfill a dream of Oakdale Cemetery’s superintendent.  “He said this was something he had wanted to do for over 15 years,” Tab said.

Now, after a flag is paid final respects at this annual ceremony, it will end up here at the American Flag Final Resting Place.

“It took about a few weeks to get the project planned to consumers then two weeks to get the box itself built then a week after that we put it in the ground,” Tab said of the total time it took to complete his project.

Tab hopes to become an Eagle Scout by the end of the year. But one thing is for sure, what you are doing at this very moment, Tab Taylor, continues to be extraordinary.

If you’d like to see the original Extraordinary Person of the Week feature on Tab, click here.