<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
</head>
<body>
<p><em>Kermit Hoyt “Kerry” Gates Jr. </em>was born in 1935 in Fort Totten, Queens County, New York. His father and his grandfather were both doctors in the Army, so Army life was in his blood. In December 1941, the family was living in Schofield Barracks, HI, next to Wheeler Air Field, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Kerry was 6 years old and recalled the planes being 50 feet off the ground when they started shooting. He decided a life in the Army was his calling and never looked back. </p>
<p>When the family was living in Palo Alto and San Francisco, CA, Kerry learned to play the French horn. In 10th grade, he received the honor of “Best Horn in California” with a television performance. The family next went to Fort Jackson, SC, where Kerry played second horn in the South Carolina Philharmonic and was recognized as “Best Horn Player in the South Carolina High School System.” </p>
<p>In 1953, Kerry was accepted at U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He always said that West Point changed him from becoming a professional French horn player to a second lieutenant. As a plebe, Kerry was in Company C-1. He felt he was one of the less talented plebes, but good at academics. He said he attained the lofty rank of squad sergeant as a First Classman. His roommate was Robert Drudik, whom he nicknamed “Emily Post” because he was a rules man and always knew the proper thing to do. Bob probably kept Kerry from getting too many demerits, and Kerry helped Bob in mathematics. On graduation day in 1957, when the whole class broke formation and ran, Bob did not. Robert Drudik later became a major general.</p>
<p>Another classmate, Paul Schwehm, married Kerry’s sister Alice. Paul recalled going home with Kerry and meeting his parents and his sister. He also said how good-natured Kerry was, how easily he made friends at West Point, and how naturally he fit into life there, thanks to his Army upbringing. </p>
<p>Kerry married Elizabeth Boyd in 1958. They had four children and divorced in 1972. Because of his Army lineage, his family expected that Kerry would follow the tradition and become a doctor, but instead he opted to become an engineer. He attended Army Airborne School for parachute training at Fort Benning, GA. He was very proud of that accomplishment but never wanted to jump again. </p>
<p>His first tour in Germany was in 1958 with the 41st Engineer Battalion in Kitzingen, then with the 4th Infantry Regiment in Bamberg. In 1961, he was sent to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for a master’s degree in mathematics, and he taught mathematics at West Point from 1962 to 1965. He next went to Vietnam, Headquarters U.S. Army, Vietnam at Long Binh Post near Saigon from 1966 to 1967. When the Pentagon sent Kerry to Vietnam, an interesting thing happened: He was Captain Gates in the morning and Major Gates in the afternoon. The accelerated promotion served him well, and he was promoted to the general staff in construction management, building roads and airfields. Kerry was awarded the Legion of Merit for his service in Vietnam. </p>
<p>He did a second tour in Germany from 1967 to 1969, then attended Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, KS in 1970. He served with UN Command Korea in 1971, followed by a third tour of Germany in command of the 94th Engineer Battalion from 1971 to 1972. He served at Headquarters Engineer Command from 1972 to 1973 in Frankfurt, and at Headquarters U.S. Army Europe in Heidelberg from 1974 to 1975. While in Germany, he married Carol Murphy in Basel, Switzerland in 1972, welcoming her two children into the family.</p>
<p>Returning to the United States, he worked at the Concepts Analysis Agency in Bethesda, MD, focusing on artificial intelligence from 1975 to 1978. He then taught at the Army War College in Carlisle, PA from 1978 to 1981. He retired a full colonel in 1981 with 24 years of military service. His medals and decorations include the Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, Meritorious Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Parachutist Badge, Army Expert Weapons Qualifications Badge with a rifle, and Army Weapons Qualifications Badge with a carbine.</p>
<p>From 1981 to 2008, Kerry worked in artificial intelligence and mathematical modeling for PAR Technology in New Hartford, NY and at Rome Labs in Rome, NY. He also restored Carol’s family home, a seven-bedroom Victorian house on 12 acres in the village of Dolgeville, NY. He played French horn in the Dolgeville Community Band and coached high school soccer.</p>
<p>In 2008, Kerry and Carol moved to Lake Placid, NY. Kerry loved downhill skiing, and he joined the Rotary Club. He was also active in St. Eustace Episcopal Church. In 2022, they moved to Pittsboro, NC to be closer to family. Kerry died there on January 20, 2025 of cerebrovascular disease. The West Point values of Duty, Honor, Country governed his life. His family, music, and the Army were what he enjoyed most. He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Carol; six children; and 12 grandchildren. </p>
<p><em>— Spouse and Family </em></p>
</body>
</html>