Remembering Georgia Gilbert
The College of Social & Behavioral Sciences remembers one of its own
On Feb 12, 2018, Georgia Gilbert, university representative for 91¶ÌÊÓƵ’s Army ROTC Battalion, passed away at the age of 70. A beloved fixture in the community, Georgia touched the lives of many at 91¶ÌÊÓƵ.
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“We have a lot of cadets in the program,” Lt. Col. Jason Nierman said. “And if someone was here even for a semester or two, she would know them by their first name and greet them at the door.”
By all accounts, Georgia seemed to extend this warmth to everyone she came into contact with during the 12 years she spent at 91¶ÌÊÓƵ.
“She loved the campus. She loved working with the faculty and staff here,” Nierman said. “You could tell she had great relationships with people from all across campus, and that was due primarily to how she was as a person — the fact that she engaged with people, took an interest in them.”
When asked about Georgia, the first thing anyone brought up was her love for her family.
“That was one thing I definitely knew about Miss Georgia,” Staff Sgt. Joshua Curtis said, “that she loved her family. She used to sit across from me in the office, and when we talked it was almost always about her sons. Georgia cared for her mother for almost a decade and spoke a great deal about the love she had for her.”
Georgia was also passionate about politics and, after having worked as a reporter for the Ogden Standard-Examiner, was elected vice chairman of the Utah Republican Party in 1979. She also served as a delegate to the GOP’s 1980 national convention in Detroit.
Clyde Ratliff, recruiting operations officer for the Wildcat Battalion, recalled that Georgia would take a leave day following primaries and general elections so she could stay up late to watch the outcomes.
“She loved to debate politics,” Nierman said. “She was sweet, witty and feisty, a classic personality you don’t see too often anymore.”