William “Bill” Gilbert was born in May of 1947 in Kentucky. In October 1969, he married Charlotte and they were living in Panama City, Florida. In December of the same year, he was traveling through Kentucky and stopped to pay a visit to family. As he was enjoying the time with family, he called home to update his wife on his travels. He was informed by his wife that a notice of draft had come in the mail that day. Having been deferred twice prior for family needs, he knew it was time for him to serve his country.
He reported to Fort Knox for basic training. Following his basic training, he was sent to Fort Sill, Oklahoma for AIT (Advanced Individual Training). Following AIT, he was immediately deployed to Vietnam.
While serving in Vietnam, he spent time with an artillery unit near Pleiku, sometimes working in in radio communications. His title was Field Artillery Operations and Intelligence Assistant.
After his return from Vietnam, Bill and his wife divorced. Though a very difficult time for him, Bill focused on studies at the University of Kentucky where he received his civil engineering degree. Bill remained at the university working and developing software programs. Several county governments across the country currently use software that was developed by Bill and Dr. Don J. Wood for distribution of water to the county residents through their water system.
Bill retired from the university and Kentucky Pipe Systems in 2014 after more than 30 years of service. He moved back to Hardin County to be closer to his family.
