Elbert Armistead Gates ’79

Elbert Armistead Gates ’79 died on January 8 in Greenwich, Connecticut, from a fall and cardiac arrest. He was 64. Born in Evanston, Illinois, on March 25, 1957, “Bert” lived most of his life in Greenwich, graduating from Greenwich High School in 1975. He loved playing the piano and chess and was on the Greenwich soccer and ski teams. At Dartmouth Bert joined Bones Gate, but then experienced the onset of mental illness. He left the College in the spring of 1976. For more than three decades the Pathways organization based in Greenwich provided a home environment for Bert and an outlet for activities through its fellowship club. Bert was also a devoted member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. He is survived by his mother, siblings, and extended family. Steve Franklin ’79, his freshman-year roommate, writes: “Bert had an engaging smile and low-key demeanor that facilitated his many personal connections, but it was his thoughtfulness and caring that most attracted me to him. His departure from Hanover was a great loss.” High school classmate Grace McGorrian ’79 adds: “ ‘Eggie’ was a very talented man who operated within a kind masculinity and a gentle tolerance of others. His illness apparently took from him the opportunities to have a spouse, partner, or children. It could not rob him, however, of his success living as a supported but independent adult in his hometown, appreciating sports, and plying his grin to his family. He is missed.”