C. Taylor Kew

C. Taylor Kew, 52, chairman of the board of F.N. Burt Co., who was a passenger in a seaplane that crashed last month in Alaska, killing his longtime friend, C. Victor Raiser II, and Raiser's son, died Friday (Aug. 28, 1992) in Buffalo General Hospital. Kew, who suffered severe burns and back injuries in the July 30 crash that killed three others, returned to Buffalo Thursday evening. He collapsed at home Friday morning and was taken to the hospital.

Born in Bethlehem, Pa., he moved to Buffalo and attended Nichols School, where he held the record for the low hurdles, a sport discontinued shortly after he graduated.

Kew, with his partner W. Russell Hurd, purchased F.N. Burt Co., 2345 Walden Ave., Cheektowaga, in 1983. The company manufactures quality custom packaging, specializing in service to the cosmetic and fragrance industries. Kew was credited with returning the business to international and regional prominence. The company has been recognized as a certified quality supplier for industry leaders, including Avon and Estee Lauder. Earlier, he had established National Production Control Inc., manufacturer of industrial filtration and steel coil processing equipment, and had served as vice president of Operations Analysis Co. Inc., a management consulting firm.

In 1975, he and Hurd established Griswold, Hurd & Kew Inc., a consulting firm that helped improve operations in several Fortune 500 companies. The company gained national recognition for its cost-cutting and efficiency systems.

At the same time, Kew was vice president and general manager of the car repair division of North American Car Corp. of Chicago.

Kew was an advocate for Western New York visual artists. He developed a corporate collection, sponsored the work of individual artists and served as treasurer and chairman of the Burchfield Art Center at Buffalo State College. With his advocacy, the Burchfield Center developed its endowment, membership and general operating fund drives, computerized its budgetary systems and increased its collections. Under his leadership, the center became one of two university museums to receive the New York State Arts Council general operating award.

Kew also was honored for his service to the board of the Buffalo State College Foundation. He served on the boards of numerous civic and professional organizations. He was elected treasurer of the Paperback & Packaging Association in 1987.

Kew and Dr. Harold Cohen of the University at Buffalo founded Global Vector Control Co., which developed low-cost traps for the bug that carries Chagas disease in South and Central America.

He was chairman of the board of F.N. Burt's sister company, Arsenal Packaging Service Corp. Arsenal is active with Suburban Adult Services, which provides programs for disabled persons.

He was a member of the Buffalo Country Club, the Princeton Club, the Thursday Club, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and the Friends of the School of Architecture and Design at UB. Kew also was an avid and accomplished model ship builder as well as a sailor. He raced frequently on Lake Erie and Lake Ontario and participated in the 1988 Newport to Bermuda race.

A memorial service will be held at 4 p.m. Monday in Trinity Episcopal Church, 371 Delaware Ave.

Surviving are his wife, Margaret S.; a son, C. Taylor Kew Jr. of Boston, Mass.; a daughter, Diana K. Temple of Winston-Salem, N.C., and a brother, S. Allan Kew of Portland, Maine.

Buffalo News Staff. “C. Taylor Kew dies at 52, Chairman of F. N. Burt.” The Buffalo News. Aug. 29, 1992. Updated July 22, 2020. https://buffalonews.com/news/c-taylor-kew-dies-at-52-chairman-of-f-n-burt-co/article_60a28626-c796-595f-b855-a4f44aa74ab1.html

TAYLOR died Aug. 28, 1992, from injuries sustained in the crash of a small seaplane, while on a fishing trip in Alaska with his lifelong friend Vic Raiser '62 and Vic's son Monty '92, both of whom also perished.

Taylor grew up in Buffalo, N.Y., and prepared for Princeton at the Nichols School. At Princeton, he was an engineer and a member of Cottage Club.

At the time of his death, he was chairman of the board of F. N. Burt Co., a manufacturer of custom packaging, which he acquired together with a partner in 1983. Prior to that he had been an investor in and consultant to several industrial companies through Griswold, Hurd & Kew, Inc.

Taylor served on the boards of numerous civic and professional organizations in Buffalo. As an advocate for western New York visual artists, he served first as treasurer and later as chairman of the Burchfield Art Center at SUNY Buffalo, leading that institution to gain significant levels of recognition from the N.Y. State Arts Council. An avid sailor, Taylor frequently raced competitively on the Great Lakes.

A private person, Taylor was not widely known among the Class during his time at Princeton. He was, however, intensely loyal to his close friends and was appreciated by those privileged to know him for his quiet wit and withering humor.

Surviving are his widow, Margaret; their son Taylor; their daughter Diana Kew Temple; and a brother, Allen. To all of them, the Class extends its deepest sympathy.

The Class of 1962

“C. Taylor Kew ‘62.” Princeton Alumni Weekly. Dec. 4, 2013. https://paw.princeton.edu/memorial/c-taylor-kew-62