William Price Gammill

WILLIAM PRICE GAMMILL WAS BORN ON THE 25TH OF NOVEMBER 1928 IN OZARK, ARKANSAS WHERE HE SPENT HIS CHILDHOOD. "BILL OR BILLY" WAS A U.S. ARMY VETERAN AND GRADUATED FROM ARKANSAS STATE TEACHERS COLLEGE OF CONWAY, ARKANSAS WITH A BACHELOR OF SCIENCE DEGREE IS PHYSICS. HE ATTENDED VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE IN 1952-1953 UNDER A U.S. ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION (AEC) FELLOWSHIP IN RADIOLOGICAL PHYSICS. BILL BEGAN HIS CAREER AS A HEALTH PHYSICS TECHNICIAN WITH PHILLIPS PETROLEUM AND LATER AS A HEALTH PHYSICIST WITH THE U.S. ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION AT THE NATIONAL REACTOR TESTING STATION IN IDAHO FALLS, IDAHO. IN 1961 HE WAS AWARDED THE CARNEGIE HERO MEDAL DUE TO HIS LIFE SAVING EFFORTS FOLLOWING THE FATAL SL-1 NUCLEAR ACCIDENT THAT OCCURRED AT THE NATIONAL REACTOR TESTING STATION OUTSIDE OF IDAHO FALLS, IDAHO ON JANUARY 3, 1961. IN 1966 HE MOVED HIS FAMILY TO MARYLAND TO WORK FOR HEADQUARTERS OF THE AEC, WHICH LATER BECAME THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION. HIS CAREER RANGED FROM THE WRITING OF EARLY SAFETY STANDARDS FOR NUCLEAR REACTORS AND SITE PLACEMENT TO SETTING STANDARDS FOR THE SAFE DISMANTLING OF NUCLEAR POWER REACTORS. HE HAD A GREAT LOVE FOR THE OUTDOORS AND WAS AN AVID SKIER, HUNTER, FISHERMAN AND SAILOR. IN 1978 HE MOVED HIS FAMILY TO ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND WHERE THEY COULD MORE CLOSELY ENJOY SAILING THE CHESAPEAKE BAY. ON DECEMBER 31, 1985, BILL RETIRED FROM THE NRC. IN JULY 1991 HE ACCEPTED A POSITION WITH EG&G, INC., A US DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY (DOE) CONTRACTOR THAT PROVIDED TECHNICAL SUPPORT FOR THE DOE AND NRC. THIS CONTRACT WAS LATER TRANSFERRED TO LOCKHEED-MARTIN IDAHO TECHNOLOGIES COMPANY WHERE HE WORKED WITH THE IDAHO ENGINEERING LABORATORIES (IEL) UNTIL MARCH 31, 1998 WHEN HE FINALLY RETIRED FROM GOVERNMENT SERVICE. IN HIS RETIREMENT, HE ENJOYED SAILING, THE COMPANY OF HIS GRANDCHILDREN AND FOUND GREAT INTEREST DOING GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH. IN DECEMBER 2005 HE AND JERRI MOVED TO NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE HERE HE CONTINUED TO ENJOY HIS FAMILY AND HIS PASSION FOR GENEALOGY. BILL WAS PRECEDED IN DEATH BY HIS PARENTS: ROSCOE J. GAMMILL & ELNORA E. WOODWARD GAMMILL, A SON, JOHN MITCHELL GAMMILL; 2 SISTERS: ELOISE E. AND A. MARGUERITE; HIS 3 BROTHERS W. CLAYTON, ROSCOE J. JR., & VINCENT M. GAMMILL. SURVIVORS INCLUDE HIS BELOVED WIFE OF 55 YEARS, GERALDINE (JERI) HINDMAN GAMMILL, NASHVILLE, TN; 4 SONS: JEFFREY W., STEWART L. (SAMANTHA), STEVEN P. (JANICE), & CLAYTON E. (JADE) GAMMILL; DAUGHTER-IN-LAW DEEANN CHRISTIAN GAMMILL; 7 GRANDCHILDREN AS WELL AS A HOST OF FAMILY & FRIENDS;

William Price Gammill

November 15, 2008