July 1, 2025, was a meaningful day in Cal Poly history, when Cal Poly and Cal Poly Maritime Academy officially integrated and began operating as one university. For Nathalie Taylor (English, ‘79), the moment was especially personal because it meant that she and her late father, LeRoy Taylor (Marine Engineering, ‘43), now shared the same alma mater for the first time.

“It means a lot because I enjoyed my experience at Cal Poly so much, and my father enjoyed his experience at the Maritime Academy,” she said. “To have us connected in this new and exciting way actually brought tears to my eyes.”  

Though they attended school more than three decades apart, both Taylor and her father benefited from hands-on, practical Learn by Doing experiences. Aboard the Training Ship California State, he worked in the engine room, where he experienced firsthand what it was like to be a marine engineer. At Cal Poly, she edited one of the poetry booklets created by students in her English class, an experience that helped prepare her for her later role as a magazine editor.

Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Taylor grew up visiting her grandparents on the Central Coast and had a cousin who was a Mustang, so she was familiar with Cal Poly when she enrolled as an English major. She had a full and rich college experience and she recalls serving as the secretary of the English club, volunteering during Poly Royal and helping put flowers on the Rose Float.

“I loved the English program,” she said. “I made a lot of friends, and I loved my professors. The classes were stimulating, and they pushed me to be a writer.”

Her career has spanned a variety of roles, but writing has always been central to her work. She worked and wrote for the mayor of Salt Lake City and the 2002 Winter Olympics and, more recently, has worked as a freelance writer for newspapers and magazines in the San Diego area, reviewing local concerts and restaurants. She also served as a volunteer on the English Department’s alumni advisory board in the College of Liberal Arts from 2011 to 2018, an experience she found fulfilling.

“It was very rewarding and a great experience,” she said. “I enjoyed reaching out to the students to help them attain their goals.”

Her father’s college experience at what was then known as the California Maritime Academy (CMA) was very different from hers. He was a midshipman and graduated during World War II. The campus at the time was in San Francisco, with classes held in the Ferry Building and aboard the Training Ship California State.

"One thing my dad told me is that they couldn't go past the Golden Gate Bridge because it was wartime and the ship could be destroyed, so he had a much different experience than they do now,” she said. “My dad was an engineering major, so he was down in the engine room. In a letter written aboard ship, he wrote, ‘Our old ship did 83 rpm at one time — the fastest I’ve ever seen the engine turn.’ He enjoyed figuring things out, and that helped him a lot as he went straight from CMA to the Navy." 

Taylor said her father, who died in 2009, served in the Pacific theater during World War II aboard the aircraft carrier USS Shangri-La, first as an ensign and later as a lieutenant junior grade. He also served in the U.S. Merchant Marine as a full lieutenant. After the war, he earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and later worked as a mechanical engineer at Mare Island Naval Shipyard for 30 years.

Taylor believes that if her father were alive today, he would be thrilled that their educational journeys are now more closely connected.

“We are now connected with the same school, and it's just a good feeling for me," she said. “And I know that my dad would be very happy.”

Have a story to share? Tell us about your alumni journey, impact or connection to Cal Poly.

Share Your Story