Taylor Gandy, philanthropist who spearheaded Fort Worth’s JFK Tribute, dies
September 18,2025
See full Fort Worth Star-Telegram article by Fousia Abdullahi here.
Taylor Gandy, a philanthropic champion for the arts in Fort Worth who, with his wife Shirlee, invested in preserving downtown landmarks and led efforts to build the JFK Tribute, died Tuesday.
Andy Taft, president of Downtown Fort Worth, Inc., said Gandy was a close friend and partner. They met in 2003 when Gandy was on a search committee that led to Taft being hired by the organization.
“He was a light, an inspiration and a very positive influence among the Downtown Fort Worth, Inc. volunteers,” Taft said. “He always came into the office with a smile and a warm word for the entire staff, and was always very encouraging of what we did.”
The Gandys invested in restoring historic downtown properties, including the Santa Fe Depot and Ashton Hotel. They supported cultural arts for decades with their time, fundraising talents and their own money. Taylor Gandy served as president of what’s now Arts Fort Worth while also balancing his career as a lawyer.
The Gandys donated downtown land to Texas Wesleyan, the site that is now Texas A&M-Fort Worth. More recently, the Gandys spearheaded the effort to build the monument to President John F. Kennedy. The Gandys donated money to complete the 8-foot bronze statue of the president at the site where he gave a speech on Nov. 22, 1963, in front of what’s now the Hilton Fort Worth. Kennedy was assassinated hours later in Dallas.
“It’s the right thing for Fort Worth,” Taylor Gandy said when fundraising began in 2011. “The Fort Worth part of that day has been lost to history. It was a wonderful, uplifting morning.”
Gandy saw the president’s motorcade that morning; he was a 27-year-old lawyer on his way to the courthouse.
“He found that to be a very inspirational moment for him,” Taft said.
Gandy was a grocer’s son born in Meridian and raised in Valley Mills in Central Texas. He went to law school at the University of Texas while working nights as an accountant and janitor for the Red Cross. Upon graduating in 1962, he got a job at the Fort Worth firm Kerr, Day and Cook.
“As soon as I enrolled my children in Tanglewood Elementary, I felt a part of the city,” he told the Star-Telegram in 1988.
Gandy had political aspirations – he served on the City Council from 1969 to 1973 – but the responsibilities of raising a family changed his mind.
In 1993, Gandy stepped down from a partnership at Gandy, Michener, Swindle & Whitaker. He and banking attorney Bruce McGee started a smaller firm together.
Taft said that Gandy was a savvy businessman but also had a big heart.
“The thing that I hope people know is that he was incredibly positive and very supportive, always had a good word, and always had Fort Worth’s best interests in mind,” Taft said.
The Gandys have been dedicated supporters of UT Arlington, where Shirlee Gandy graduated. The couple has two endowments there: the Shirlee J. and Taylor Gandy First Generation Scholarship, and the Shirlee J. and Taylor Gandy Scholarship Endowment for Liberal Arts.
Megan Henderson, director of events and communications for Near Southside Inc., echoed that the JFK Tribute was an important passion of the Gandys.
“Taylor could be as soft as a teddy bear and as spicy as a jalapeño,” Henderson said. “The balance of his big personality was that you loved being in his company and always wanted him to be on your team.
“A great servant of the community, working hard with all he had to make the place better,” she said.
Locations Mentioned: Hilton Fort Worth, Texas A&M Fort Worth, The Ashton