James E. Taliaferro
Jim Taliaferro is not your ordinary person by any stretch of the imagination. First, he possesses what the military refers to as “command presence”; which means he can enter a room filled with people and, without saying a word, all will know he is there. Second, he is an avid reader of non-fictional material and, with an unusually receptive mind, has become self-educated in building construction, finance, accounting, economics and municipal operations.
Jim came from a family with a good work ethic so it was only natural that, as a youngster, he would have the largest newspaper route in the Salem area. Later, he worked during the summers for the highway department grooming right-of-way and other manual tasks.
He was in the class of 1954 at Andrew Lewis High School before joining the army where he spent the next three years as a paratrooper. In the service, he continued his education through USAFI courses. Upon being discharged, Jim was employed by the Norfolk and Western Railway Company as a messenger in the law department, from 1957-1959. This was followed, from 1959- 1969, as a highly successful sales representative with Shelton-Witt Equipment Company.
In 1965 he decided to enter the construction business and, with a partner, formed Salem Contracting Company. In 1978 he assumed full ownership and began the process of taking on more and more small building construction projects. Some of the more notable ones in recent years have included the Goodwin Insurance building, Roanoke Restaurant Service distribution center, Precision Acura and Franklin Ford automobile dealerships, CMT showroom and warehouse and conversion of the old Academy Street School into an attractive condominium.
Jim always possessed a deep appreciation for Salem which led to his first election to city council in 1972. Only two years later he was named mayor and held that position for 22 years which ended with his deciding not to seek re-election in 1996. Jim’s tenure on council occurred during a crucial period for Salem which was not only a relatively new city, but one which had decided to establish its own school system. As mayor, he used a hands-on approach and was directly involved in all phases of municipal development. He successfully led efforts to create a public school system that is second to none, convert the old Broad Street School into a new City Hall, construct the Salem Football Stadium and the Salem Memorial Baseball Stadium, build the Moyer Sports Complex, construct the Farmers Market and, relocate and enlarge the Senior Citizens Center. Understandably, his background in the construction field proved invaluable during all of these projects and numerous others.
Jim led in establishing an adult education program for city employees seeking courses through Roanoke College, Virginia Western and National Business College. He also pursued a similar program for citizens seeking vocational education and, additionally, led efforts for establishing a four year scholarship program for high school students through the Salem Educational Foundation. His last act before leaving council was to put into motion a plan to acquire a substantial portion of the Elizabeth Campus of Roanoke College which will result in a permanent location for the Salem YMCA along with providing considerable acreage for other development. Supporting Jim throughout his extremely active career have been his wife, Rixine Nelson Taliaferro, and their tow children; a son, James E. 11., and daughter, Jamie Alley.
By nature, Jim has always sought to avoid the limelight or to accept accolades for his many accomplishments. Instead, it has always been his position that Salem’s many successes has been the result of actions by the entire council and not by him alone. Even so, he has been highly acclaimed for his role in the community’s development and in 1995 was named Citizen of the Year by the Salem/Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce. In 1996, James E. Taliaferro was also inducted into the Salem Alumni Hall of Fame established by the Salem Educational Foundation and Alumni Association.
