Deshannon Artemis (D.A.) Taylor
Deshannon Artemis Taylor was born May 10, 1978 in Portsmouth, Virginia. He was the second of three children born to Stanley and Gale Taylor. The first two years of his life he lived in Norfolk, Virginia. At the age of two, the family moved to Charleston, South Carolina due to the military reassignment of his father. After spending the next two and a half years there, the family transferred back to the Hampton Roads area and took up residence in Virginia Beach, Virginia. D.A.’s kindergarten through second grade years were spent as a student at Rosemont Elementary School. He was assigned to the Virginia Beach School System’s program for gifted and talented students, in which he excelled. Going into grade three, he was accepted into Norfolk Academy. From grades three through eleven, he was a high honor roll student, as well as a National Merit Semifinalist. He also excelled in athletics, earning honors in multiple sports including football, basketball and lacrosse. D.A. was highly motivated to succeed, and was a positive influence in the lives of all with whom he associated. On February 17, 1995, D.A. became ill with meningococcal meningitis. After a courageous battle with the disease for just over a month, D.A. succumbed to it, losing his fight against it on March 20, 1995.