This article is republished with permission from the Summerville Journal Scene.
By Michael Prochaska
Summerville Journal Scene
RIDGEVILLE, S.C. — Edsel Taylor, a Ridgeville resident who spent 51 years with the South Carolina Department of Corrections and became the nation’s longest-serving prison warden, has received the state’s highest civilian honor, the Order of the Palmetto.
“I had a hard time making parole,” he joked when asked about his longevity in the corrections field.
Taylor was presented the award during the July 20 meeting of the Dorchester County Council. The Order of the Palmetto recognizes citizens for extraordinary lifetime achievement, service and significant contributions to the state.
After serving a year in Vietnam, Taylor began his career at MacDougall Correctional Institution in 1969. Realizing he had a knack for administrative leadership, he applied for the warden position of a maximum-security prison in Columbia. Knowing that a handful of wardens had been terminated over the course of several years, he took the challenge in stride. His boss even joked, “If you can survive Vietnam, you can survive here.”
Taylor eventually returned to MacDougall as the warden, where he would retire. In addition to the corrections field, he served for 28 years in the U.S. Army Reserve, retiring as a lieutenant colonel.
While working at MacDougall, Taylor took on additional assignments with other South Carolina corrections facilities.
“I was extremely blessed to have good health and a lot of energy throughout my career,” Taylor said, boasting that he never took a day of sick leave as warden of five different South Carolina prisons.
A proponent of educational and rehabilitative efforts, Taylor established a housing unit for military veterans and oversaw construction of an inmate-built chapel. During his tenure, MacDougall Correctional Institution achieved accreditation from the American Correctional Association.
His military background influenced at least one of the prison programs of which he is most proud: a housing unit designed for incarcerated military veterans. The concept was intended to make it easier to provide services and benefits to veterans while fostering discipline and camaraderie among its residents.
The prison even allowed those inmates to have murals and their unit insignia on their cell walls.
“As I suspected what would happen, they meshed together really well, and it was an easier unit to manage,” Taylor said, adding that the unit developed a reputation for order and discipline. “You walked in, and it was like walking into a true military barracks.”
Taylor noted that education, vocational training and treatment programs are critical to reducing recidivism.
“You can’t simply lock someone up and expect them to be released as a normal person,” he said. “It’s our responsibility to try to make sure they are prepared to be a productive citizen when they get back on the street.”
Taylor remained in corrections through some of the agency’s most difficult periods, including the COVID-19 pandemic. He had planned to retire earlier but stayed on as the prison grappled with unprecedented challenges.
“[That period] made me so proud of our dedicated staff,” he said. “They did not give up.”
During his 51-year career, Taylor worked for nine corrections directors and felt supported by each one. At the same time, he learned to be flexible based on each director’s philosophy on how to run a prison.
Since retiring, Taylor has shifted his focus toward conservation, environmental stewardship and volunteer work.
He has helped secure permanent conservation easements, protecting critical natural areas.
Taylor serves as a master naturalist and works to establish and maintain wood duck habitats, including dozens of nesting sites around his wooded property.
“I truly love being in nature,” Taylor said, before quipping, “When you spend 51 years behind bars, you have a lot of time to make up and spend outdoors.”
As he approaches his 83rd birthday in August, Taylor boasted that his shift toward conservation work has kept him motivated, active and young in spirit.
“I haven’t made a penny since I retired, and I don’t plan to make a penny,” he added.
While accepting South Carolina’s highest civilian honor, Taylor emphasized that the recognition belonged to more than just himself.
“This award is something bigger than I am,” he said. “I was blessed to have employees who were dedicated, hardworking and always trying to do the best job they could or even finding ways to do it better.”
Taylor concluded that he and his colleagues always sought to make prison a “highway to a better life, instead of a dead-end for people.”
