Community mourns loss of civic leader

From Staff and Wire Reports

Zach Taylor, the executive director of The Association of Central Oklahoma Governments died early Friday morning of a pulmonary embolism.

An ACOG spokesman says the 60-year-old was having difficulty breathing and died after being taken to the hospital. Taylor had been with ACOG for 30 years and is survived by his wife Allison and two daughters.

Taylor and his wife, Allison, returned home Thursday from the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Ariz., when he became ill, family members said.

Pulmonary embolisms occur when a blood clot, often from the deep veins of the leg, breaks free and travels to the lungs, where it can block an artery. Such clots can form during long periods of inactivity.

Taylor led ACOG since 1978.

The group is a voluntary association of city, town and county governments including Oklahoma, Cleveland, Canadian and Logan Counties, according to their Web site.

In 2006, Taylor was named the administrator of the year by the Oklahoma Chapter of the American Society of Public Administration.

His work through the years led to special governor's appointments in Oklahoma and Oregon and he has been awarded several national leadership honors.