For an entire generation of television viewers, Sheriff Andy Taylor was the ultimate father figure. He was honest, straightforward, and good. Even in his position of power, Andy Taylor acted with kindness. He treated everyone with respect, whether they were the mayor or a criminal. 

Andy Taylor is venerated as the image of upright authority. Many viewers who came from unstable families could look to Taylor as their own perfect father figure. But, while he portrayed a nearly faultless man on television, Andy Griffith was quick to point out the differences between himself and his character.

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For portraying the Sheriff of Mayberry, Andy Griffith was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by George W. Bush in 2005. In that same year, Griffith spoke with Beverly Keel from the online magazine American Profile. In the interview, Griffith spoke about living in the shadow of Sheriff Andy Taylor.

"Don't pay any attention to that, that is a persona," said Griffith.

 "I am not any favorite dad; I am not any kind of all-American person. I am just a 79-year-old person.

"I have many failings. My son died of an overdose when he was 36. I was not a good father to him. So I have failed in many ways. I am a man, like any other man."

There's no such thing as a perfect father, and by distancing himself from his onscreen counterpart, Griffith allowed us to understand him as a human. In doing so we, too, can see who we are and who we'd like to be. The first step towards progress is taking inventory. 

Nobody could be Sheriff Andy Taylor. He's a work of fiction. But by pointing this out, Andy Griffith at least gave us something to strive towards. Mayberry doesn't exist, but we can still work hard to treat one another with the respect that Sheriff Taylor taught us. 

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