Roll Call Tribute

Published in (Jackson MS) Clarion Ledger on Feb. 3, 2016

Gilbert Carmichael
Gilbert Ellzey "Gil" Carmichael

Meridian

Services for Gilbert Ellzey (Gil) Carmichael, will be Friday, February 5th, at 11 a.m. at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Meridian, with Father David Johnson officiating. Wright's Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Gil, 88, passed away Sunday, January 31, 2016 at his residence. His roots in Mississippi run deep. He was born in Columbia, on June 27, 1927, the son of Calvin Ellzey Carmichael of the Goss community in Marion County and Clyde Myrna Smith Carmichael of Columbia.

He graduated from Columbia High School in 1944, served in the military from 1945-46, and graduated from Texas A&M in 1950 with a degree in business and a minor in petroleum engineering. Gil was commissioned as an officer in the Coast Guard in the Korean War, and during his service was awarded the Silver Life Saving Medal by the Secretary of the Treasury. He moved to Meridian in 1961 and began his own company which included two automobile dealerships and a real estate development company.

Gil was one of the founding creators of the University of Denver's Intermodal Transportation Institute. In 1998 he was appointed to the Amtrak Reform Council by Majority Leader Senator Trent Lott, and in January 1999 he became the council's chairman. President Ford appointed him a member of the National Transportation Policy Study Commission from 1976 to 1979. He served by Presidential appointment, on and as chairman of the National Highway Safety Advisory Committee to the Secretary of Transportation from 1973 to 1976. Gil was a pioneer in transportation in Mississippi. In 1987 he helped originate, author, and pass a 1077-mile statewide four-lane highway construction program, and was also instrumental in the creation of a 700-mile regional railroad in East Mississippi and West Alabama, now a major part of the Kansas City Southern Railroad.

He was recognized as a pioneer in state politics including running for statewide office as a candidate for the U.S. Senate in 1972, twice for governor in 1975 and 1979, and once for lieutenant governor in 1983.

Gil also loved his Scottish and Clarke County roots. He spent many hours at his family farm in DeSoto, Mississippi where he enjoyed spending time with family and friends.

Survivors include his wife of 63 years, Carolyn Dean (Deanie) White Carmichael; his son, Gilbert Scott Carmichael and his wife, Laura; grandson, Gilbert Graham Carmichael of Meridian; sisters, Sue Horton of Enterprise, MS and Myrna Horton of Milford, PA; three step grandchildren, Matt Davis (Stacey), Brittany Griesser (Morgan) and Kimberly Corn (John); and a host of relatives and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Calvin and Clyde Carmichael.

Honorary pallbearers include Gilbert Graham Carmichael, Dan Horton, Hardy Graham, Jr., Gene Damon, John Robert Smith, Bob Dean and Jim Perry.

Visitation will be from 9-11 a.m. prior to the service at the church. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Meridian at 1116 23rd Avenue. Online condolences may be given at www.wrightsfuneral.com.



Funeral Home
Wright's Funeral Home
119 E Church St Quitman, MS 39355
(601) 776-2103
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(Published in) The Meridian (MS) Star (on) February 2, 2016

Gil Carmichael remembered as a visionary

By Ida Brown ibrown@themeridianstar.com | Posted Yesterday

A visionary is broadly defined as a person who can envision the future. One who is ahead of his or her time.

Meridian businessman Gil Carmichael is being remembered by friends and colleagues for imagining the possibilities of the future – nationwide and especially for his hometown.

Carmichael died Sunday at Anderson Regional Medical Center. He was 88.

"Real vision is all too rare a gift. And those who possess that gift challenge our comfortable status quo, perhaps even frighten us with the breadth of what they see that we do not," said longtime friend and former Meridian mayor John Robert Smith.

"Gil Carmichael was such a visionary," Smith said.

Carmichael's passing came just three days after he was honored by U.S. Senator Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) for his service in the U.S. Coast Guard and his participation in a daring rescue mission in 1952.

“Gil Carmichael was an honorable and forward-thinking leader, whose public service, business and political endeavors made Mississippi better," Cochran stated in a release about Carmichael's passing. "He set an admirable example for current and future leaders of our state.

“I am saddened by the passing of Gil Carmichael, and extend my condolences to his family and friends at this difficult time,” Cochran said.

U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss) also remembered Carmichael's ingenuity and courage.

“Mississippians have lost a great man. Gil Carmichael was a brave, innovative, and forward-thinking leader who contributed to the success of our state," said Wicker in a released statement. "His valor as a member of the Coast Guard in 1952, helped save the lives of 70 men caught in a storm off the coast of Cape Cod, Mass. That dramatic rescue has inspired generations of Guardsmen and was recently memorialized in the film ‘The Finest Hours.’"

Closer to home, Meridian businessman Lamar McDonald recalled when he first met Carmichael.

"He immediately got involved in the community," McDonald said. "He was a great citizen, actively involved in politics and a very good friend. I will miss him terribly."

Carmichael made numerous achievements following his outstanding military career, including running for statewide office in the 1960s, as a candidate for the U.S. Senate in 1972, twice for governor in 1975 and 1979, and once for lieutenant governor in 1983.

A Mississippi delegate to the Republican National Convention, Carmichael is recognized as a pioneer in state politics.

“As a Republican pioneer in Mississippi, Gil took up the GOP standard at a time when many were reluctant to understand the importance of the two-party system," Wicker said.

Longtime friend Gene Damon – also recognized as a Republican pioneer in Mississippi – affectionately described his GOP cohort as "Complicated like a Swiss Watch, but he was a Scotchman; so he was a Scotch Swiss Watch. He and I were very close; we shared a lot of experience. We will miss him terribly."

Carmichael's other accomplishments include: appointment to the National Highway Safety Advisory Committee in 1973, becoming chairman of the advisory committee until 1976; Federal commissioner for the National Transportation Policy Study Commission, 1976-79; administrator of the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Railroad Administration, 1989-93, later serving as chairman of the Amtrak Reform Council.

While Carmichael shared his visions nationwide, he always remembered Meridian.

"He always had a driving vision for his hometown of Meridian, which he often shared with me during my time in office, and since," Smith said. "But he is best remembered nationally for his love and vision for a national rail system, especially passenger rail."

Wicker also applauded Carmichael's contributions to the nation's rail industry.

"For the past 30 years, he has been an authoritative voice on our nation’s rail infrastructure," he said. "I was grateful to have his advice and counsel last year when I authored legislation to reform and improve America’s railways. Our nation is a better place today because of Gil Carmichael."

While serving as Federal Railroad Administrator, Carmichael awarded Meridian a $35,000 grant, of which was the beginning of Meridian's Union Station Multi-Modal Transportation Center.

"Gil's vision could encompass designating the first five high-speed rail corridors, but also the importance of serving smaller cities and towns – like his own hometown of Meridian," Smith said.

Smith, who now serves as chairman of Transportation for America, expressed appreciation to Carmichael for being a father figure.

"When you lose your father as early in life as I did, you long for that older gentleman who will take you under his wing and make you part of his vision, and genuinely care about your success and well-being," he said. "I was blessed to have Gil Carmichael as one of those two men in my life. Gil was a quintessential Southern gentleman, and a genuinely good soul."

"I'm a better man for knowing Gil, and Meridian is a better place because it was Gil's hometown.

Funeral arrangements are incomplete at Wright's Funeral Home in Quitman.