Danny Lee Taylor, Ph.D., P.E. died early in the morning of January 6, 2026, of endocarditis and pneumonia, at Scripps Memorial Hospital in San Diego. He was known by most as Dr. Dan, professor, mentor, & friend. Dan was born to Manilla Goe Taylor and Zack Taylor on September 8, 1946, in Oklahoma City. His parents and two brothers, Michael and John, preceded him in death. Danny leaves behind his wife, Jacque Ewing-Taylor, his sisters-in-law Connie and Pat, and brother-in-law Pete, and sister-in-law Sharon Fletcher-Taylor, widow of brother Michal, nephews Wilson and Alec, and numerous family members in Oklahoma. Danny grew up in Evergreen, Colorado and graduated from Evergreen High School in 1964. He worked summers with his dad and brother Mike in the oil fields of Oklahoma and Texas. He enrolled at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, CO, graduating with his B.S. in Engineering Mathematics in 1968, his M.S. in Operations Research Mathematics in 1973, and his Ph.D. in Mineral Economics in 1980. He was registered as a Professional Mining Engineer in Alaska, Nevada and California. In between degrees, Dan worked in the mining industry in Colorado and skied all over the Rockies. He had many classmates and colleagues who shared his passion for mining and with whom he remained in touch over the years, usually meeting at some bar at the annual meeting of the Society of Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration. In 1978, Danny took a teaching position at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks in the Mining Engineering department. It was here that he found his calling: educating the next generation of mining engineers. In 1979, Danny became the youngest department chair of a mining engineering department in the U.S. at the Mackay School of Mines, University of Nevada, Reno. He taught there for 40 years, retiring in 2017, having been department chair (twice), Associate Dean, recruiter, and long-time advisor to the John Mackay Club. He was extremely proud of his school, and his students, whom he took on field trips to numerous gold mines around the country, and many of whom he took to the International Intercollegiate Mining Competitions held around the globe. On January 31, 1981, he met Jacque Ewing at a friend’s party. He loved to tell the story of that first meeting, where they sat cross-legged on the neighbor’s floor, drank Carlo Rossi red wine and talked till 5:00AM. They spent the next 45 years together, getting married on December 27, 1983 on Hilton Head Island, and then being pronounced Claimed and Filed according to Mining Law on January 31, 1984, in Reno, witnessed by “a company of miners”. Danny & Jacque lived in Reno until October, 2022, when they moved to Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico, where the weather is golf-ready all year round. He took full advantage of that and played several days a week, making two holes-in-one. Dan was also an avid traveler. He and Jacque traveled the world, some for professional conferences, some for the pure pleasure of learning about new country, its history and people. Danny had a smile for everyone he met, regardless of the circumstances. He had a wicked sense of humor and loved a good pun. He was fiercely loyal to those he loved and respected, and to his beloved Mackay School of Mines. He had endless patience, especially for his students, some of whom claim they never would have graduated without Dr. Dan’s intervention, whether it was tutoring or going head-on with the university bureaucracy. Danny also loved to entertain! His ribs, brisket and pizzas were legendary. There was always cold beer, good wine, and strong cocktails at the gatherings. In remembrance of him, please raise a glass of your favorite adult beverage and shout “Sláinte, Dr. Dan!”