Gilbert Clayton Ford

1923 - 2009

Gilbert Clayton Ford was born March 31, 1923, in Graham County, Kansas, the only and beloved child of Clarence and Ethel Ford. He spent his boyhood living on a farm. In 1933, his family moved to Loveland, Colo., where they lived with his widowed grandmother, Mary Hicks. His mother was confined to bed rest for six months, and during that time, he took on the domestic duties of the home. He credited this time as helping him develop into the caring, loving man he strove to be his entire life.
His parents moved to Boulder with him in 1940 so that he could attend the University of Colorado. They did everything they could to make his education possible, and Dr. Ford expressed throughout his life his deep gratitude for the sacrifices they made on behalf of his education. He finished his degree in only 2 years and 9 months, graduating Phi Beta Kappa in 1943 with a degree in chemistry and minors in math and physics.
In 1944, he applied to be a scientist on the top secret Manhattan District Project, and he was assigned to work in Oak Ridge, Tenn. He applied for a furlough in 1945, and on his last day of service before leaving for home, the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. The war ended while he was home visiting his parents.
On July 28, 1946, he married Norma Feiten at the Church of the Nazarene in Washington, D.C. They went on a honeymoon to Williamsburg, Va., and then on a trip to Colorado to visit his parents. Soon after that, the young couple moved to Cambridge, and Dr. Ford began his doctoral studies at Harvard University, paying his tuition with the G.I. Bill. He earned his Ph.D. in physics from Harvard in 1950.
Drawn to the rural solace of the west, and driven by a desire to teach in a Christian environment, Dr. Ford took a position as a professor of physics at Northwest Nazarene College in Nampa, Idaho, and he became closely associated with College Church of the Nazarene. Dr. Ford loved teaching. He often emphasized throughout his life that people spent a lot of their lives working, and if possible, they should find work they loved. At NNU, he and a friend, Virgil Vail, constructed a mass spectrometer with grants from the Research Corporation and later, from the National Science Foundation.
Dr. Ford worked at NNU in various roles, including Head of the Physics Department, Chairman of the Division of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Academic Dean for 15 years and Acting President during his tenure, where he worked until his retirement in 1993, and after that on a part-time basis. During his time at the school, he saw the approval of the physics major as well as a major in engineering physics. Although he appreciated the opportunities for personal development that the different roles had given him, his favorite part of working for NNU was being a teacher. He formed close connections with students, and was highly regarded as a beloved professor. Throughout his life, his most rewarding moments were the ones in which he formed meaningful connections with other people, particularly his family.
Dr. Ford's two greatest hobbies were his ham radio, and speaking Spanish and German. He made contacts with people all over the world using his ham radio, as well as using it to patch through to phone lines to keep in touch with Norma on long trips. He regularly conversed with people on ham radio, often in Spanish and German. He also loved to travel, and visited Germany and Argentina, Hawaii, Spain, France, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Winnipeg, Australia, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Cancun, Mexico City, Costa Rica and Israel, in addition to travels for his sabbaticals.
He and Norma had a wonderful and very rich life together. He loved her from the moment he met her until the end of his life, with his whole heart. This past July, they celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary together in the company of their daughters and grandchildren.
They have three dearly loved daughters, Gail Roberts, Valerie Brelinski and Constance Ford, and two sons-in-law, James Roberts and Tim Brelinski. Dr. Ford and Norma were also blessed with seven grandchildren, Leslie Anne, Heidi and Amanda Roberts, Mackenzie Boyd and Amy, Ivy and Allison Pruss. He loved them a great deal and shared a special relationship with each one of them.
Dr. Ford died peacefully in his sleep around 5 a.m. on Aug. 29, 2009, from complications caused by congestive heart failure. He was 86. He spent the last two months of life continuously surrounded by his wife, children and grandchildren, all of whom will love him dearly for the rest of their lives. We are all overwhelmed with gratitude for having had such a delightful, generous and brilliant man as a part of our lives.
A memorial service for Dr. Ford will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 5, at College Church of the Nazarene in Nampa. Donations may be made to the Gilbert C. Ford Scholarship or the Leslie Anne Roberts Scholarship at Northwest Nazarene University.