Gilbert Keith St. Clair, age 79, passed away Saturday, August 16, 2014 at the Wesleyan on Scenic in Georgetown, Texas, with his wife and staff by his side. For over three years he had fought a courageous battle with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease).
Gilbert was born February 4, 1935 in Macomb, Illinois to the late Gordon Keith St. Clair and Dorothy Fern Points St. Clair. There were frequent moves around Illinois during his early childhood and in 1945 the family moved to Fayette, Ohio. As a high school student he managed livestock and crops on the family farm, and participated in FFA and 4-H.
He attended Oberlin College in 1953 for one year and then transferred to the University of New Mexico. He participated in Air Force ROTC and The Young Republicans. He graduated with honors and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Air Force Reserves. He reported for active duty on December 10, 1957 at Lackland AFB after being selected for navigator training. He received his navigator wings in 1958.
In 1966 he was assigned as an instructor in the Navigation Division at the Air Force Academy, which he considered one of his best assignments. During his Air Force career he had a tour in Vietnam as an Air Operations officer, and he was base commander at RAF Wethersfield, UK and at Cannon AFB, NM. His last assignment was at the Pentagon with the Readiness and Joint Activities Division. He retired from the Air Force in 1983.
After a military career he worked in economic development in Portales, Santa Fe, and Albuquerque, NM. He had earned his Master of Political Science from Auburn University while stationed at the Air War College at Maxwell AFB, AL. Having a desire to teach he pursued graduate courses in political science at the University of New Mexico. He received his PhD in 1996. He taught at the College of Santa Fe, the University of New Mexico, and Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas. Teaching was his true passion and he always had time to advise students.
Gil is survived by: wife Carolyn of Georgetown, son Grant and wife Angela from Albuquerque, NM, three grandchildren, Geoffrey St. Clair, Vicki Booth and her husband Cooper Booth of Georgetown, and Nicole St. Clair of Las Cruces NM, and two great grandchildren, Alexis and Gaige St. Clair of Phenix City, AL, and one sister, Linda Bradley and husband Jerry Bradley of Santa Fe, NM.
A Memorial Service will be held at 3:00 PM on Sunday, September 28, 2014 at the Lois Perkins Chapel at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas. Interment will be at 11:00 AM on Monday, September 29 at the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery.
Donations may be made to the ALS Association, Texas Chapter, 8705 Shoal Creek Blvd., Suite 114, Austin, Texas, 78757.
You may share a message or memory in the memorial guestbook at www.RamseyFuneral.com
