David W. Gay

Major General (Connecticut) David W. Gay
Born	(1935-07-03) July 3, 1935 Brooklyn, NY
Allegiance	United States State of Connecticut
Service/branch	United States Army
Rank	Major General (CT)
Service number	1265390
Commands held	Connecticut National Guard 1st Missile Battalion, 192d Artillery
Awards	Legion of Merit
Spouse(s)	Nancy S. Gay (1961 - 2015, her death)
Website	www.ct.gov/mil

David W. Gay was the Adjutant General of the state of Connecticut from 1992 to 1999. He began his military career with the United States Marine Corps and later transferred to the Army. He served for over 39 years in the military.^[1]

Military career

Gay left for basic training in the Marine Corps on October 3, 1953. He served on active duty at the Marine Barracks at the Submarine Base in Groton, Connecticut. After three years of active duty, he transferred to the USMC Reserve, before enlisting in the Connecticut National Guard as an artilleryman. He was discharged from the enlisted ranks on November 17, 1962, to accept a commission as a second lieutenant after graduating from the Connecticut Military Academy.^[2]

He spent the early part of his career in the 1st Missile Battalion, becoming a battery commander. He transferred to the infantry in 1971, remaining there until 1977. He continued to rise through the ranks and served a two-year active duty tour as the United States Property & Fiscal Officer (USPFO) from 1989 to 1992.^[1]

Appointment to Adjutant General

With the sudden resignation of Major General John T. Gereski in March 1992, Governor Lowell P. Weicker appointed him to the position of Adjutant General.^[3] After Gay completed Gereski's term, Governor Weicker appointed him to a full four-year term effective July 1, 1994. He continued to serve as Adjutant General under Governor John G. Rowland until May 31, 1999, when he retired.

Under his command, the Connecticut National Guard was active in community service programs orientated towards children. He began the “Drug Demand Reduction Program" with offshoot programs such as "Take Charge", "Character Counts Coalition" and "Aviation Role Models for Youth".^[2]

After the military

Major General Gay remained active in the public arena after his tenure as Adjutant General. He was appointed to the Board of Trustees for Community-Technical Colleges in Connecticut in the February 2002 session of the Connecticut General Assembly and was also appointed as Chairman of the Citizens' Ethics Advisory Board of the Office of State Ethics on October 1, 2011.^[4][5]

Personal

David W. Gay married his wife Nancy on September 30, 1962, in Hartford. Together they have three children: David, Jr. born July 27, 1963, Jennifer born April 10, 1966, and Stephen born on May 30, 1969. He is a graduate of Manchester Community College and Eastern Connecticut State University.^[1]

References