Homer F. "Chris" Gay

A tour in the US Navy, during the Korean War, was a seminal time in the life of Homer F. “Chris” Gay, Jr. During this time, he remet and married collegian classmate Joan Van Doren, cemented his goal of a journalistic career, and was Honorably Discharged as a Petty Officer. Working in special Naval communications he and his bride began a fifty-eight year marriage and a family with their first of three sons born on Guam, M.I. where Gay was stationed for nearly three years, and was reassigned o Washington D.C. until he left the Navy to resume an interrupted university career at the University of Missouri, graduating in 1956. Gay died September 21, 2009, at age 79, was born December 18, 1929, in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, graduated from Okmulgee High School in 1947, and entered San Diego State College. He left there to go to war. He was preceded in death by parents, Homer Franklin and Maurine (Alexander) Gay, and by his brother and sister. He is survived by sons; Bruce C., Christopher W., and Jon A. Gay, four grandchildren, eight great grandchildren, and cousins, Dr. Tom Alexander and Dr. Robert Alexander. During a 20 year career in broadcast journalism, Gay covered the election campaigns of both R.F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon, ws news director for three different radio stations, and received an award from the Radio and Television News Director’s Association. He left active news coverage to teach high school and college Journalism and Television. His faculty associates honored him with a nomination to the Teacher in Space program. In addition to classroom work, he was called into administration as Director of Student Activities in a school with 3,500 students. At San Diego State, he joined Sigma Pi Fraternity, and was inducted into the campus Honor Society. At the University of Missouri, he joined Sigma Delta Chi, the Society of Journalists, and later while teaching, he joined the professional education fraternity, Phi Delta Kappa. During this time, he began a fifteen-year volunteer effort in the U.S. Coast Guard’s civilian reserve, the Coast Guard Auxiliary, earning several organization awards. He retired with the rank of Commander CGAUX. A service remembering the life of Chris Gay will be held at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Okmulgee on Saturday, October 3, at 11:00 A.M. Burial will be at the Okmulgee Cemetery on Friday, October 2, at 2:00 P.M. Memorials may be given to Trinity Lutheran Church or the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. Arrangements are under the direction of the McClendon-Winters Funeral Home of Okmulgee.

Homer F. "Chris" Gay

December 18, 1929 - September 21, 2009