Carol Clayton Gambill

GAMBILL, Carol Clayton – Born March 4, 1945 and died December 29, 2020 in Nashville, TN from complications of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Born in Nashville, TN, Carol was the second of five children of Mr. and Mrs. James Hollis Clayton Jr. (Marion Georgette Beckham “Becky” Clayton), both of whom preceded her in death. Carol was a graduate of St. Bernard’s Academy in Nashville, TN, and she received her Bachelor’s Degree, as well as her Master’s Degree in Special Education, from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. At UT-K, she met Michael A. Gambill of Clarksville, TN, to whom she was married for 42 years until his death in 2008. Carol was also preceded in death by a sister, Marion Clayton Calloway of CA, and by a brother, Richard Dean Clayton, of TN.

Carol had a passion for teaching, and she spent her entire professional career in education, beginning with deaf education. She founded the first preschool for deaf children in the state of Iowa. As she accompanied her husband to numerous locations for his career with ALCOA, Carol also taught for several years at the California School for the Deaf in Riverside, CA and Maryville High School in Maryville, TN.

It was her final teaching specialty, high school mathematics, that became Carol’s lasting professional legacy. Carol taught Algebra at Sewickley Academy in Sewickley, PA for more than a decade, where she coached numerous state championship math teams. Her teaching was guided by a fierce belief in the ability of every child to master mathematics, as well as a deep affection for students from diverse backgrounds. Long after moving from PA, Carol’s caring presence is still felt at Sewickley Academy, where they host “Mrs. Gambill’s Suggestion Box” to solicit student input at the Academy. Upon returning with her family to her hometown of Nashville, TN, Carol was named in 2002 as the Director of Charter Schools for the Tennessee State Board of Education. In 2002, Carol was nominated and confirmed by the U.S. Senate as a member of the Advisory Board for the National Institute for Literacy.

Survived by her three sons, Michael Arthur Gambill, Jr. (Anne Lauren Waits), Atlanta, GA, Gary Clayton Gambill, Claymont, DE and Brett Mitchel Gambill, Nashville, TN; her brothers James H. Clayton III (Nancye), Nashville, TN and Michael Wayne Clayton (Bonnie), Marshall, WI; her four grandchildren, Harper Waits Gambill, Crispin Waits Gambill and Amelia Waits Gambill, Atlanta, GA, and Michael Potter Gambill, Claymont, DE; her aunt, Dollye F. Clayton, Nashville, TN; and a host of Clayton and Gambill cousins. A private graveside service officiated by Father John Raphael will be held Tuesday Jan. 5, 2021 at Calvary Cemetery, Nashville, TN.

In lieu of flowers, designated memorial gifts in memory of Carol Clayton Gambill may be made to: “Ascension St. Thomas Foundation fbo The Holy Family Clinic”, 4220 Harding Road, Nashville, TN 37205.