Alrutheus "Ted" Taylor Buchanan

Alrutheus, "Ted," Taylor Buchanan was born on August 31, 1937 in Marceline, Missouri, the youngest of five children, to Catherine Brummell Buchanan and the late Archie Buchanan.  At the age of five, Ted's widowed mother remarried Dr. A.A. Taylor, Dean of Fisk University; subsequently, the family nucleus moved to Nashville, Tennessee.  Living in Nashville became the substratum of Ted's identity, his pride and joy.  While living within the vibrant intellectual domain of Fisk University, Ted was surrounded by educators and accomplished professionals until his graduation from the venerated Pearl High School.  That exposure propelled him on a course to pursue meaningful and influencing accomplishments.  Ted was accepted to the University of Michigan, but due to the ever so growing hostile civil rights upheaval, he decided to stay closer to his family and attend Tennessee State University.  While matriculating through his studies, he participated in the Air Force ROTC and worked part-time at McKissack and McKissack Architectural Firm.  It was on the campus of Tennessee State University that Ted met his beloved wife, Frances Lewis.  Ted graduated from Tennessee State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering.

After graduation, he was employed at Hayes International Corporation in Huntsville, Alabama and assigned to the Apollo 11 Space Program as a structural engineer.  Concomitantly, Ted became an exuberant father to a son and a daughter, Teddy and Lisa, both of whom were born in his adored Nashville, Tennessee.  Ted accepted an offer of employment with International Business Machines (IBM) which took him and his family to Owego, New York and eventually to Austin, Texas.  While at IBM, Ted served in various engineering management roles involving the planning, designing, refurbishing  and construction of buildings for Austin's premier computer giant.  While on a sponsored sabbatical, Ted attended graduate school at Cornell University, earning a Master's Certificate in City and Architectural Planning.  After his retirement from IBM, Ted continued to make his mark in Austin employing his engineering talents at Faulkner Construction Company and Motorola.  Moreover, Ted served as an Adjunct Professor at Austin Community College where he shared his wealth of knowledge and expertise with the next generation of civil engineers and construction managers. As an entrepreneur, Ted set his sights on enhancing the community and literally changing the landscape in which he lived.  He established Buchanan Engineering and Associates as well as Buchanan Consultants and Associates in which he served as the construction project manager to help build schools, churches, the Austin Town Lake and Community Events Center, the Jake Pickle Health Center, and the Toyota Dealership in San Marcos, Texas.  Ted always had a deep appreciation for automobiles which inspired him to begin a vehicle leasing business, the Buchanan Leasing Company.  He truly enjoyed the mechanics and design aspects of the vehicles, but he mainly enjoyed working with his clients.

Ted served in a multitude of organizations such as the Capital City Chamber of Commerce, the Austin Area Urban League; and the Rotary Club of Austin.

Ted was a devoted parishioner of both Saint Thomas More and Holy Cross Catholic Churches.  At Holy Cross he achieved the status of 4th Degree Knights of Peter Claver.  He was an especially proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha, Inc. and Gamma Gamma Boulé.

Ted loved life and always maintained a positive mental attitude with an epic smile that uplifted the spirits of everyone that he encountered.  His favorite pastimes were socializing with people, fishing, boating and cheering on the Dallas Cowboys.

Ted is survived by his loving wife of 63 years, Frances; children, Ted and Lisa; son-in-law, Joseph, grandchildren, Zacheriah, Noah, Ardyn and Rion; his dearest sister, Leatrice Buchanan McKissack, nieces, nephews as well as an abundance of extended family and a plethora of friends.