Arthur R. Taylor, 80, the 10th president of Muhlenberg College and former president of CBS Inc. died Dec. 3, 2015, with his loving wife, Kathryn, and his beloved daughter, Annie, by his side in Lehigh Valley Hospital, Salisbury Township.

A resident of Salisbury Township and Salisbury, Conn., he was born July 6, 1935 in Elizabeth, N.J.

He was the son of the late Arthur Earl and Marion (Scott) Taylor.

A native of Rahway, N.J., he was a former paper boy and hardware store clerk in his teens, and an accomplished musician whose proudest early achievement was earning the first chair position playing clarinet for the New Jersey All-State Orchestra.

A graduate of Rahway High School, he earned a full scholarship and was a magna cum laude Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Brown University, where he also received his Master’s degree and later served as a trustee.

He began his business career with the First Boston Corporation then became vice president of finance, executive vice president and a director of International Paper Company.

At age 36, he was named president and a director of CBS Inc. where he was responsible for the operations of the entire company including CBS Television Network, CBS News and the New York Yankees. After five years with CBS, he, former Vice President Nelson A. Rockefeller and George Woods, retired chairman of The World Bank, formed an investment firm, the Sarabam Corporation, which focused on the Middle East.

He was founding chairman and president of the Entertainment Channel (now A&E).

In 1985, Fordham University named him dean of the Graduate School of Business Administration and dean of the Faculty of Business.

After seven years at Fordham, he served as president of Muhlenberg College for a decade (1992-02), during which time Muhlenberg tripled its endowment, halved its debt, and saw a significant rise in admissions.

At Muhlenberg he also held the faculty rank of Distinguished Professor of History and was a career counselor for the graduating classes. His era at Muhlenberg was distinguished by his focus on students.

During his tenure, Muhlenberg’s popularity among applicants and its prominence as a fine Liberal Arts College grew substantially.

Throughout his career and after retiring from Muhlenberg he continued mentoring young people.

At Muhlenberg, he and his wife were known for their willingness to embrace students and accept them into their lives. Their open door policy was well known.

Students still say of him, “He was a great hugger!”

His three daughters and their achievements were everything to him.

In addition to his wife, Kathryn Pelgrift Taylor, from whom he never wanted to be apart, he is survived by daughters Martha Taylor Josephson and husband, Jon Carter, Anne Taylor Madden and her husband, Sean, and Sarah Taylor Rountree and husband, John; beloved grandchildren David Arthur and Zoe Taylor Josephson, John Taylor Madden and Brody McFarland Rountree and his sister Marilyn Taylor Rocks; brothers and sisters in-law Robert Y. Pelgrift Jr. and Susan, Elizabeth P. Boak and Jeffrey, Anne P. Crawford and Gregory, James D. Pelgrift and Sara, Nancy P. Kocian and Matt, Christopher Y. Pelgrift, 15 nieces and nephews for whom he cared greatly and his dear friends the Scarpa family in Salisbury, Conn.

His memorial service will be 2 p.m. Dec. 18, at First Presbyterian Church of Allentown, 3231 Tilghman St., Allentown.

The family asks contributions be made in his memory to Lehigh Valley Health Network, Development Department, 2100 Mack Blvd., 6th Floor, Allentown, PA 18105 or to The Kiski School Advancement Office, 1888 Brett Lane, Saltsburg, PA 15681.

Arrangements made by J.S. Burkholder Funeral Home, Allentown.