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William Atkins ‘Bill’ Gager Jr.
was born in St. Petersburg, FL to William A. Gager Sr. and Marie
Bemiss Gager. Bill’s father was a math professor at the University
of Florida, and his mother was a beloved biology teacher at
Gainesville High School. Bill was a bright, intellectual child who,
at the age of only five, spoke to the graduating class at Peabody
College in Nashville, TN, where his father was a student. He was
active in scouting and ultimately became an Eagle Scout. When Bill was 14, he moved with his parents to
Gainesville and lived next door to his future wife, Pat Pepper. He
began 10th grade at P.K. Yonge Laboratory School, where he was
president of the student body and active in sports including
basketball, softball, and football. He also sang in the glee club
and was the Florida winner in the American Legion oratorical contest
in March 1945. He spent summers in New York with his friend Maurice
Hinson, a concert pianist who performed with Madam Pinera, an opera
singer.
Bill continued with a lengthy formal education
earning a B.S. at West Point, a master’s in civil engineering from
Texas A&M, a master’s in political science and a Ph.D. in education
from the University of Florida.
While at West Point, Bill played the carillon in the
Cadet Chapel. Here his wry humor came out when he light-heartedly
played “Ach du lieber Augustin” on the chapel chimes one afternoon.
As a member of the Glee Club, he sang on The Ed Sullivan Show
and was in two movies, The Long Gray Line and The West
Point Story. During summer leave as a new First Classman, Bill
and Pat were invited by the commander of the Jacksonville Corps of
Engineers district to be guests on a three-day cruise down the
Florida Intracoastal Waterway, along with other Florida classmates
Hal Howes, Norm Mattmuller, and Robert Morris, and their respective
dates. On his graduation day, Bill married Pat, and they were
happily married for more than 62 years, until Bill’s death from
Parkinson’s disease.
Bill’s initial assignment as an Artillery officer was
to historic Fort Niagara, NY, on the shores of Lake Ontario, north
of Buffalo. This Coast Artillery military post has since been
deactivated but has been preserved for posterity as a public park in
upstate New York.
During his military career, Bill was a member of the
Army Rangers and was in the Corps of Engineers. He and Pat enjoyed
three years in Nuremberg, Germany, where Bill was with the 24th
Engineer Battalion. Bill was on an exchange program with the
Tennessee Valley Authority for two years. In 1964, he spent a year
in Vietnam as an engineering and psychological warfare adviser. His
final post in the Army was at Fort Lee, VA with the Army General
Equipment Test Activity.
Following his military service, Bill and family moved
to Tallahassee, FL, where Bill worked for the Department of
Education as the Administrator of Academic Affairs for the Florida
Community College System. As a civilian, Bill’s career in the civil
service included work in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of
Defense, as Director of DANTES (Defense Activity for Non-Traditional
Education Support), and as the Director of Training Appraisal for
the Naval Education and Training Command.
After leaving the military, Bill was able to enjoy
one of his favorite hobbies of working in the yard. He had artistic
talents and would turn the yard in each of their homes into an
interesting, but nontraditional, work of art. He and Pat lived for
several years in Gulf Breeze, FL, where they purchased a sailing
sloop, which they moored at their waterfront home on the Gulf of
Mexico. Here they were able to entertain friends and visitors with
memorable sunset cruises.
Bill and Pat retired to Gainesville and lived in
Bill’s family home. Interestingly, this was their permanent address
on the day they got married, continued as such all through their
marriage, and is still Pat’s home.
Bill loved his family and was the rock on which they
could all depend. He was very intelligent and determined, yet had a
loving and nurturing side, particularly with babies and those who
might be under the weather. He had a strong faith and loved to have
deep theological discussions. He had a lifelong love of trains,
sailing, fishing, German music and food, and playing the piano and
the accordion.
Bill and Pat loved to travel and went to places such
as Cuba, Alaska, Hawaii, Nova Scotia, Norway, the Panama Canal,
Africa, and much of Europe. Additionally, they participated on
mission trips to the Bahamas and the International Baptist
Theological Seminary in Ruschlikon, Switzerland.
Bill was active in the local community serving as the
chairman of the Gainesville code enforcement board, and he was on
the board of the Museum of Natural History at the University of
Florida. He was a member of Kiwanis, the Gainesville Quarterback
Club, and was a deacon at the First Baptist Church. He had been,
most recently, a member of the First Presbyterian Church in
Gainesville.
Bill is survived by his wife, Pat Pepper Gager; son
William ‘Jeff’ Gager (Martha Ann); daughter Lindsey Mineer (Kevin);
son Thomas Gager (Malinda); granddaughter Kathryn Padua (Justin);
and grandsons Johnathon, Will, and Tommy Gager. Be Thou at Peace.
— Family and classmates |
