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Wilbert Gates Obituary
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Memories and Condolences
for Wilbert Gates
5 Entries
Larry Tarof
November 4, 2010
Mr. Gates was a most memorable math teacher -- functions&relations '76-77 and calculus '77-'78 for me at George S. Henry. He was the only teacher I ever had who insisted upon a straightedge and labeled graphs for everything (and the labeled graphs have continued into my own work)! I'll never forget the section on amortization and interest -- skills which he told us would be important in adult life. Mr. Gates as a teacher is recognizable from all the composite Hollywood movies about the strict but caring teacher; I'm confident he is remembered that way by many. It's nice to learn he had a long and fulfilling life in retirement -- and I'm not a bit surprised :).
Alison Clement
November 2, 2010
Mr. Gates was one of the best and most memorable math teachers of all time and I am very sad to hear of his passing. He was my calculus teacher in 1980 at George S. Henry S.S. It was one of the few classes that we had to sit in alphabetic order! When I last saw him at the High School reunion in the early 1990's he gave me a huge hug and a peck on the cheek which I will never forget! Rest in peace Mr. G.
Irving Weisdorf
November 2, 2010
It can't be possible that there were two Mr. Gates' who were terrific math teachers and lived in Don Mills. So I am going to take a chance, and assume that I have found my "Mr. Gates", who taught mathematics at both Wilson Heights Junior High and W.M. Mackenzie C.I., (class of '64)and advised the Student Council and did so many more things for his students, things we often didn't know about.
We all thought Mr. Gates was tough and only later realized how soft and caring he always was behind that tough exterior.
The last time I saw Bert was at the 35th Mackenzie reunion, and he was there with a twinkle in his eye and a copy of the reference letter he had written for me for university. It was then that I was struck by how important his students were for him. Sadly, I never kept my promise to see him again and introduce my family to him.
I would like all his family to know how special a person they had as father, brother, husband, grandfather and great-grandfather.
I don't know why I woke up tonight thinking of him, and came down to find that he had passed away. Perhaps there are things of this world that we cannot entirely understand -- sort of like some of those math equations!
Jaimini Randev
October 31, 2010
As a former student of Mr. Gates (George S. Henry S.S., 1968), I found him to be challenging teacher who had high expectations of all students. In the '70s,80's and 90's, I also became a teacher and got re-acqainted with Bert through family, friends and St. Mark's. That's when I discovered his wonderful sense of humour and joy for life. I was particularly honoured when he added me to his email list, allowing me to enjoy his colourful and comical missives and tales of his many travels to Arizona. During my infrequent visits to St. Mark's, Bert's greetings of welcome were always a highlight. Sing on, Bert. A life well lived. My only regret is that, despite his passion for teaching, I was never able to fully comprehend the complexities of the mathematical universe. Jaimini (and Moyra) Randev.
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October 28, 2010
Although I was never one of his students, I always liked Mr. Gates. The last time I saw him was in 1982 at the 75th Anniversary RCI Reunion, and he was still teaching then.
My most sincere condolonzes go to the family.
Giovanni (John) Paglialunga
Class of '58
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