GAIL WESLEY YORK
Gail Wesley York was born on May 25, 1930 in Comanche County to Brady C. York and Ruby Mae Stewart. He grew up in Comanche and attended Comanche Public Schools.
Following graduation from high school, he attended John Tarleton Agriculture College (Tarleton State University). He participated in ROTC while at Tarleton. He attended also North Texas State University (University of North Texas) where he graduated with a Bachelor of Business Adminstration. He continued his education at Howard Payne University obtaining a Master’s Degree in Education. At Baylor University, he worked on his Doctoral Degree studying Philosophy. He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
On August 10, 1951, he married Mary Lafaye Gore in Comanche, Texas. She preceded him in death on April 14, 2009. He and Mary had a daughter, Gala. He served in the United States Air Force. After graduation from North Texas, he worked at Republic National Bank in Dallas, Texas. He was hired away from Republic by Eddie Childs to manage the purchasing department of Western Company of North America in Midland, Texas. He then began his career in education and taught in Gustine, Texas, which were among his happiest memories. He was assistant principal at Central Elementary in Stephenville, Texas, and then served as Registrar at Midwestern University in Whicita Falls, Texas. He then served as the Registrar and Director of Admissions at North Texas State University in Denton, Texas, and ending his career with Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas, as Director of Guidance, Counseling and Testing.
He retired in 1985. In 1986, he and Mary started Comanche County Real Estate, Arrowhead Real Estate and York Appraisal Company. He and his daughter, Gala, started First Texas Telephones, Inc., and Firstel Communications, Inc., in 1990 participating in the inmate telephone business in Texas, New Mexico, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Kentucky. They sold the business to AT&T in 2000.
He enjoyed keeping donkeys on his places, delighting in the new babies. He enjoyed also researching family history and was a great, great grandson of Comanche County settler and Methodist preacher, M. O. Coker. He was a World War II history buff and spent many happy afternoons with friends watching war documentaries and videos while having a cigar.
Gail Wesley York died April 11, 2012.
