Indiana University Athletics
Legendary IU, Bloomington Figure Viola Taliaferro Passes Away
6/12/2023 9:15:00 PM | General
Judge Viola J. Taliaferro, a Bloomington icon and groundbreaker in the legal profession in Monroe County, has passed away. She was 94 years old.
Viola "Vi" Taliaferro and the late George Taliaferro were married in 1950, shortly after the pair graduated from Indiana University. George, who passed away in 2018, remains one of the most important figures in both IU Athletics and Indiana University history due to his Hall of Fame career as an IU football player and for shattering racial barriers on campus and in the community during his time as a student and then as a university administrator. But Viola was an equally important and impactful figure both locally and nationally.
After building a successful career in academia, social work and administration, Vi enrolled at IU's Maurer School of Law in 1975. She graduated in 1977, and went on to be a pioneer in her own right. After practicing law for 12 years, she became the first African American to serve as both a magistrate and as a judge in the Monroe County Circuit Court. During her time on the bench, she handled county juvenile, paternity, probate, and mental health commitment cases. In 2008, IU's Maurer School of Law renamed its mediation clinic as the Viola J. Taliaferro Family and Children's Mediation Clinic in her honor.
In addition to her work locally, she was also an important figure nationally. She served as a consultant to U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, was on the National Research Council on Juvenile Crime, and was elected to the American Law Institute. After retiring from the bench in 2004 she continued to do special projects for the Indiana Supreme Court.
In 2021, Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren announced the creation of the George and Viola Taliaferro Fellowship, in an effort to recognize the pair's enormous impact on education, athletics and the justice system.
The Indiana University family extends its deepest condolences to the entire Taliaferro family.
Viola "Vi" Taliaferro and the late George Taliaferro were married in 1950, shortly after the pair graduated from Indiana University. George, who passed away in 2018, remains one of the most important figures in both IU Athletics and Indiana University history due to his Hall of Fame career as an IU football player and for shattering racial barriers on campus and in the community during his time as a student and then as a university administrator. But Viola was an equally important and impactful figure both locally and nationally.
After building a successful career in academia, social work and administration, Vi enrolled at IU's Maurer School of Law in 1975. She graduated in 1977, and went on to be a pioneer in her own right. After practicing law for 12 years, she became the first African American to serve as both a magistrate and as a judge in the Monroe County Circuit Court. During her time on the bench, she handled county juvenile, paternity, probate, and mental health commitment cases. In 2008, IU's Maurer School of Law renamed its mediation clinic as the Viola J. Taliaferro Family and Children's Mediation Clinic in her honor.
In addition to her work locally, she was also an important figure nationally. She served as a consultant to U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, was on the National Research Council on Juvenile Crime, and was elected to the American Law Institute. After retiring from the bench in 2004 she continued to do special projects for the Indiana Supreme Court.
In 2021, Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren announced the creation of the George and Viola Taliaferro Fellowship, in an effort to recognize the pair's enormous impact on education, athletics and the justice system.
The Indiana University family extends its deepest condolences to the entire Taliaferro family.
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