Robert C. Gillette

GILLETTE ROBERT C. GILLETTE, Captain U.S. Navy (Ret.) Robert Charles "Bing" Gillette, 93, a retired Navy Captain and submariner, died February 17, 2010, at his home in Chevy Chase, Maryland. He served at bases in Coronado, CA, New London, CT and Charleston, S.C. After he retired in 1969, he settled in the Washington area with beloved wife of 62 years, Margalee Corcoran. Capt. Gillette was a 1939 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. He was renowned both for his exceptional basketball skills -- he is still remembered for his hard-court magic and as the "best story teller on both sides of the Mississippi." He attended Submarine School in New London CT. During World War II, he served as Navigator and Executive Officer of the USS Lapon (SS-260) for eight war patrols, for which the Lapon received the Navy Unit Citation for sinking or damaging over 100,000 tons of Japanese shipping. Capt. Gillette received two Silver Stars for his part in that outstanding record. He then became Commanding Officer of the USS Blackfish (SS-221). While CO, the Blackfish was responsible for the rescue of eight downed aviators during one of their patrols, for which he received a Letter of Commendation. Upon his retirement in 1969, he received the Legion of Merit for his 30 years of naval service. After the war, he served in numerous command assignments including the USS Pomodon (SS-486), USS Fulton (AS-11), and USS Howard W. Gilmore (AS-16). He attended the Armed Forces Staff College and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. From 1969 to1973, he was employed by General Dynamics. He was then selected to serve as Director of Field Operations for the Emergency Energy Allocations Program, the precursor to the Department of Energy and continued with the Department until 1981 after it was elevated to a Cabinet-level agency. At the request of the Navy, Captain Gillette served as the Executive Director of the Naval Undersea Museum Foundation at Keyport, WA, raising over $11 million and overseeing its construction until its opening in 1991. He supported this effort until his death. He was a long-time member of The Church of the Little Flower, Kenwood Country Club in Bethesda, MD and the Army-Navy Town Club in Washington, DC. His wife, Margalee Corcoran Gillette died in 2009. A daughter, Laura Gillette Johnson, died in 2005. Survivors include his four children, Robert Corcoran Gillette (Nancy) of Shepherdstown, WV, Elise Gillette of Chevy Chase, MD, Annalee Regensburg (Richard) of Alexandria, VA, and Amy Pace Groesbeck (Todd) of Hagerstown, MD and six grandchildren Pace, Robb, Laura Lee, Brooke, Dorothy and Alice. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at The Old Post Chapel at Ft. Myer on Wednesday, June 23, 2010 at 10:45 a.m. Interment Arlington National Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made in his honor to the Naval Undersea Museum Foundation, PO Box 408, Keyport, WA 98345.