Gilbert Clayton Ford

Tonight, my son asked me about the Manhattan Project and after I told him what it was, what it meant back then and now, I was able to tell him about Dr. Gilbert Ford. My favorite memory of Dr. Ford was during the beginning weeks of my physics class and we had a test coming up. I studied very hard for this test and had even stayed up a couple nights in a row to do so. On test day, nothing was making sense anymore and I went to have a talk with Dr. Ford. I was hoping to appeal to his...

I am thinking about Dr. Ford tonight, as I read about planets Jupiter and Saturn getting as close as they've been in 800 years (December 21 they will be the closest) and knowing how excited he would have been to see that. He was my favorite science teacher of all time, and one of my favorite teachers of all time. Truly a gentleman and a scholar. I'm glad I caught his obituary, albeit years later.

I have fond memories of Dr. Ford. He introduced me to the world of physics in about 1957, and encouraged me to go on to graduate school. Dr. Ford not only knew physics, but he also knew the Lord, the source of physics.

Thank you, Dr. Ford for your kind and generous spirit. I will always remember your delightful sense of humor. You never made one feel "benesth your station"

My favorite memory of Dr. Ford was when I was a student in a physics class. He used an opaque projector which created lots of heat to show his lecture notes. A couple of us taped over the electrical connector to the cooling fan. As Dr. Ford lectured the projector got so hot that the note cards began to curl up and his jacket which was near the projector began to scorch from the heat. Realizing this he immediately stopped lecturing and announced that we would have an exam unless those who...

My favorite memory of Gilbert was at Warm Lake one summer many years ago, when he was convinced that his will could overcome his lack of knowledge and experience in rowing a row boat across the lake. Loaded with family members anxious to arrive safely, Gilbert couldn't coordinate his movements with his desired direction. Focusing on the distant shore and sporadically checking the horizon for his goal, he was dumbfounded by the erratic behavior and wanton disregard that the row boat had in its...