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William A. Gager '54

 

No. 19869April 20, 1931 - February 23, 2017          

Died in Gainesville, FL

Cremated. Inurned at Forest Meadows Cemetery-East, Gainesville, FL

 

   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

 

Originally published in TAPS, Summer 2017

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