Robert Edward Gatten Jr.

Bob Gatten, 73, died on February 23, 2018, after a short and courageous battle with lung cancer. Never a smoker, always active, positive, and healthy, this diagnosis was a shock to all of us who knew him. The family will receive visitors at Hanes Lineberry N Elm Street on Monday, February 26, at 4 PM. There will be a community memorial service at Hanes-Lineberry N. Elm Funeral Home on Tuesday, February 27 at 11 am; with a special Service of Remembrance for Well-Spring Residents at Well-Spring, Tuesday, February 27 at 4 PM, followed by a reception with the family.

Bob and Florence have always been immensely proud of their two children, David Edward Gatten (spouse Erin Espelie) of Boulder, CO, and Elizabeth Gatten Fenley of Greensboro, and their two granddaughters Lydia Katherine Fenley of Greensboro and Darwin Salina Gatten­ Espelie of Boulder. Their greatest joy and accomplishment was their family.

Bob was born on December 21, 1944 in Lexington, KY to Kentucky natives Robert Edward Gatten and Elizabeth Thompson Gatten. He attended Lexington's Ashland Elementary School and Morton Junior High School, and graduated as valedictorian from Henry Clay High School in 1962. In high school, he was president of the National Honor Society, president of the Key Club (a service club sponsored by Kiwanis International), and served as photo editor of the yearbook and newspaper. Thus, began his lifelong interest in photography.

Bob was a biology major at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA, from which he graduated in 1966. At William and Mary, he was elected to membership in Omicron Delta Kappa (a national honor society) and served as president of Circle K (a service club also sponsored by Kiwanis) and as a photographer for the yearbook (Colonial Echo) and newspaper (The Flat Hat). In his senior year Bob served as Editor in Chief of the Colonial Echo, a very great responsibility and a position in which he learned a lot about many aspects of life. He remained at William and Mary for his master's degree in biology (1968) for which he studied blood physiology. He served as a Lecturer in the Department of Biology in 1966-67.

On February 6, 2018, Bob received a special award- Recognition for Exceptional Service to the College of William and Mary. Since his retirement, Bob had dedicated much of his free time to his alma mater serving on the Class of 1966 Reunion Committee, as a class ambassador, and as a strategist to encourage class engagement. An avid photographer since his days as a student, he donated hundreds of William and Mary photos from his personal collection to the Swem Library.

At William and Mary, he met his future wife, Florence Fraser of Miami, FL. They were married in 1968, having proudly been college sweethearts.

Bob received his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in 1973, specializingin comparative and environmental physiology . While serving as a teaching assistant, he received a Distinguished Teaching Award from the University.

Bob spent most of his academic career in the Department of Biology at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, beginning in 1978. He carried out research on various aspects of animal physiology, publishing 50 scientific papers and book chapters, and teaching undergraduate and graduate courses. He received the University's first Research Excellence Award in 1989. His research was sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy, and by UNCG. Bob supervised the research of 20 graduate and undergraduate students and was an Associate Editor of two scientific journals in his specialty. He served as Head of the Department of Biology from 1988 until 1997, and as Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences from 1997 until 2003. While serving as Associate Dean, he founded UNCG's Science Advisory Board, a group of local business leaders who provided advice about the development of the University's science programs. One of Bob's major responsibilities in the College Office was helping plan new buildings (including the Sullivan Science Building) and guide the renovation of existing buildings. He retired from UNCG in late 2005 but continued to volunteer for the University in various capacities.

As an adult, Bob developed a passionate interest in the history of the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1803-1806. He attributed this interest to the stimulation provided by his parents; his dad had a master's degree in history and his mother was a librarian and genealogist. Bob traveled much of the Lewis and Clark Trail, and was an active member of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation in Great Falls, MT, for which he served on the Board of Directors and as president (1994-1996). In the early 1990s, Bob devoted much effort to locating the land where Expedition co-captain William Clark was born in 1770 in Caroline Co., VA; his work led to the creation of two Virginia Historical Highway Markers honoring Clark and his family.

Bob was one of three Foundation members who incorporated in 1993 the National Council of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial, which was observed in 2003-2006. Bob continued to contribute to the Foundation in various ways until his death. Bob received the Distinguished Service Award of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation in 1996 and the Outstanding Service Award from the National Council of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial in 2001.

Gatten's knowledge of and passion for the history of the Lewis and Clark Expedition led to his being employed by Lindblad Expeditions as a historian on their shipboard voyages following the route of Lewis and Clark on the Columbia and Snake Rivers (25 times from 2003 to 2017). He loved sharing the Lewis and Clark story with Lindblad guests, and working with Lindblad staff members in New York City and Seattle.

Bob inherited his mother's interest in family genealogy, as well as her voluminous research records, compiled over her lifetime. Bob entered all of the information into a software program that includes 6,500 people.

In lieu of flowers and food, memorials may be sent to The College of Arts and Sciences at UNCG, the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation in Great Falls, MT, or the Well-Spring Retirement Community of Greensboro.

Online condolences may be made through www.haneslineberryfuneralomes.com.