R. Gilbert

RC Gilbert (CMSgt Chief Master Sergeant USAF retired) 88 of Mineral Wells passed away December 12, 2011. Born in the back porch room of TR (Cat) Gilbert's house on a hill top in Brazos, Texas on March 2, 1923, to Earl Abraham and Lela Black Gilbert, R.C. graduated from Santo High School in May of 1942, less than 200 days after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii and America was at war. RC, like many young sons of Palo Pinto County, moved by patriotism, love of country and sense of adventure, volunteered to join in the war effort. Prior to graduation, RC traveled to Dallas where representatives of the US Army Air Forces Signal Corp tested his aptitude for electronics and communications. His score of 98% qualified him and he was sent to San Antonio for training immediately upon enlistment. RC served in Burma and India in the Pacific Theater during WW II and in 1946, RC was posted to Westover Field, Chicopee, Mass where he met Sgt Irene Heagle (a girl from Montana) and on 20 July 1946, married his wife of 65 years. When, the National Security Act of 1947 was implemented, the United States Air Force became a separate military service on September 18, 1947 and given the choice, RC chose to make the US Air Force his career, retiring from the US Air Force 1 January 1967. While stationed at Clark AFB, Philippians, in June of 1950, RC received a commission as a Captain in the USAF reserve which he chose not to accept as it would take more time away from his family. RC began his military career climbing poles, splicing wires, and dodging sniper fire, then designed and implemented control tower communications systems, monitored Eastern Block air activities on the "DEW (Distant Early Warning) Line", a system of radar stations in Canada, Alaska and Greenland as well as the northern United States, and as a member of the US Air Force Security Service (USAFSS) via the AN/FLR-9 antenna (or elephant cage as it was sometimes called because the circular antenna covered 35 acres) collected the military voice and electronic signals of countries of interest (Soviet and Eastern bloc countries primarily). His assignments resulted in postings in Germany, Italy, Philippians, and Canada, and several locations in the US. Following his retirement from the US Air Force in 1967, RC joined Texas Instruments in Dallas. There, he designed and implemented TI's global electronic security systems, including facility access and site surveillance and a communications network enabling TI Geophysical research and exploration operations to communicate directly with Dallas from anywhere in the world. (land or sea) RC was part of the TI Team that designed and implemented the Texas Association for Graduate Education and Research (TAGER) Television Instructional Network whereby all classroom instruction from participating universities is live and features a talk-back communications system by which students in classrooms at the TI facility at which they worked, could interactively question and communicate with the professors during the class. The system comprised of nine North Central Texas Colleges operated for eight years, offering 1,132 academic courses to more than 25,000 students. RC retired from Texas Instruments in 1982. Of all his many accomplishments, RC was most proud of his service to his country as a member of the United States Air Force. RC is survived by his brother James Gilbert, Sister Wanda Daley, sons Robert and Richard Gilbert, grandchildren Thomas and Catherine Gilbert, great grandchildren Jacob and Joseph Gilbert. RC is preceded in death by Irene Heagle Gilbert, his wife of 65 years, his father Earl Abraham Gilbert, and mother Lela Black Gilbert. The family will receive friends Friday December 16 from 3 - 4 PM at Dobbs Valley Baptist Church, Dobbs Valley Spur, Dobbs Valley, TX. Service to follow at 4PM with burial at Dobbs Valley Cemetery. Full military honors provided by the United States Air Force, Honor Guard, Dyess Air Force Base, Abilene, TX. The family requests in lieu of flowers memorials be made to the Veterans of Foreign Wars USA, American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association.