Baylor Mourns Loss Of Professor Emeritus Gardner Gately

by Judy Long

The Baylor community mourns the death of Professor Emeritus William Gardner Gately, who passed away Tuesday, May 6. Funeral services were held at 11:30 a.m. May 9 at Wilkirson Hatch Bailey Chapel in Waco, Texas. Dr. Steve Manson, pastor of Central Christian Church in Waco, and Dr. Herbert Reynolds, Baylor president emeritus, officiated at the service.
Manson, who was Gately's pastor, said Gately was the kind of church leader every church needs. "He was a member of Central Christian Church for many years and was an outstanding elder and magnificent Sunday school teacher. He served in many capacities and was looked up to as a capable scholar and eminent churchman," he said.
Dr. Kathy Whipple, current chair of the department of communication sciences and disorders, said Gately came to Baylor in 1965 and served the department for 38 years, many of those years as department chair. "He was well known in the profession at the state and national levels and will be missed," she said. "He was my mentor and has been my adviser through the eight years I have served in this role in the department."
Gately served as president of the Texas Speech and Hearing Association and was nationally recognized for his expertise in fluency disorders. He was a lifetime member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the Texas State Association and was the recipient of numerous honors from professional organizations.
Gately was born Sept. 7, 1929, in Cedar Grove, Tenn. to Lucian and Gladys Gardner Gately. He completed his undergraduate studies at Lipscomb College in Nashville, his master's degree at University of Tennessee and his doctorate at Ohio University.
Survivors include his wife, Margaret Gately of Waco; son Monty Gately of Waco; grandsons Marshall and Derek; and sister Patsy Adcock of Lexington, Tenn.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the Gardner Gately Scholarship Fund at Baylor University, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, P.O. Box 97332, Waco, TX, 76798-7332.