William Montgomery Gabard

Dr. William Montgomery Gabard, 84 of Valdosta, died on Friday, Aug. 18, 2006, at Brookwood Medical Center in Birmingham, Ala.

Born Aug. 17, 1922, in Lewisburg, Tenn., he was the son of the late William Montgomery and Nell Haynes Gabard. A graduate of Forrest High School in Chapel Hill, Tenn., he received an AB degree from the University of Tennessee, an MA degree from Northwestern University and a Ph.D. from Tulane University.

From 1948 to 1988, he was a member of the faculty at Valdosta State University, where he served as professor and head of the history department and the founding Director of International Studies.

Dr. Gabard held post-doctoral fellowships in Asian history at the following universities: Chicago, Columbia, Duke, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Texas-Arlington and Osmania, India.

A member of numerous scholarly and professional organizations, he was a founding member of the board of directors of the Southern Center for International Studies and The Japan-America Society in Georgia.

Active in the Georgia Historical Society, he served as its first non-Savannah president.

He was founding president of the Lowndes County Historical Society. He was also president of The Georgia Consortium, Inc., for 15 years.

A member of SAE Fraternity, he was faculty advisor for the Georgia Sigma chapter for fifteen years.

He was a member of Christ Episcopal Church, Valdosta Country Club, the Chatham Club, Savannah and the World Trade Club, Atlanta.

Our community has suffered a great loss with the death of Dr. William Montgomery Gabard, a multi-talented educator. Dr. Gabard taught about 10, 000 students during his 40-year career at Valdosta State University. The History Department and Department of International Studies will serve as a perpetual memorial to his leadership, his vision and his scholarly brilliance.

For everyone who knew Bill Gabard, his death is a personal loss. Dr. Gabard had a personality larger than life and was an extraordinary man in language and character.

Survivors include his wife, Lougenia Gillis Gabard of Valdosta; a sister-in-law, Mrs. Joe C. Gabard of Chapel Hill, Tenn.; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.

Funeral services will be at 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 21, 2006, at the Christ Episcopal Church of Valdosta with the Rev. Peter Ingeman officiating. The family will receive friends immediately following the services on Monday at the church. Interment services will be at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2006, at the Gillis Family Cemetery in Soperton with the Rev. Louis Miller, rector of Christ Episcopal Church of Dublin, officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Grandpa Fund, c/o Christ Episcopal Church, 1521 N. Patterson St., Valdosta, Ga., 31602; Gabard History Endowment Fund, c/o History Department, Valdosta State University, 1500 N. Patterson St., Valdosta, Ga., 31698; Georgia Historical Society, 501 Whitaker St., Savannah, Ga., 31401-4830; Lowndes County Historical Society, 305 West Central Ave., Valdosta, GA 31601 or The Marshall County Memorial Library, Gabard Haynes Fund, 310 Old Farmington Rd., Lewisburg, Tenn., 37091. — Carson McLane Funeral Home.



Funeral Home:
Carson McLane Funeral Home
2215 North Patterson Street
Valdosta, GA
US 31602