[1] Born in Swan River, Manitoba, she trained as a teacher in Winnipeg and taught in her hometown for several years before marrying Lorne Taylor in 1940; during World War II, Lorne served in the Canadian Armed Forces while Gladys served in the Canadian Women's Army Corps.
She then expanded her business by acquiring a network of community newspapers, including The Wheel and Deal, the Rocky View Five Village Weekly, the Carstairs Courier and the Airdrie Advance.
[1] In 1977, she went on a driving tour in Australia, publishing the memoir Alone in the Australian Outback in 1984;[4] the book formed the basis for the 1992 film Over the Hill.
[5] In 1987, she published Alone in the Boardroom, a memoir of her experience as a woman in business at a time when that was still a relative novelty.
[6] She was also known for her editorials in her newspapers, which were harshly critical of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and Alberta premier Don Getty.