Thomas Pickens Gates
| Nickname: | Pick or T. Pickens |
| Born: | August 23, 1901, Madison County, Alabama |
| Died: | March 26, 1995, Huntsville, Alabama |
| Buried: | Maple Hill Cemetery, Huntsville, Alabama |
| Residence: | 416 Locust Avenue SE |
| Husband of: | Martha Elizabeth Traylor Gates |
Notes:
• Son of Stephen Converse Gates (born 1876 Marshall Co., Tenn. and died 1929 Huntsville, AL) and Lula Pickens (born 1876 Morgan Co., AL and died 1938 Huntsville, AL) married 1938 Huntsville, AL . - Sons of the American Revolution
• His ancestral connection with Revolutionary War service is through Joseph Pickins. He "was a Captain of South Carolina Militia and an Indian fighter. He was killed during the siege of Ninety-Six during the period of 22 May-19 June, 1781 (d. June 1, 1781). He (Joseph Pickens) and his brother Gen. Andrew Pickens of Revolutionary fame, were of Huguenot ancestry. The estate of Joseph William Pickens was paid 130 pounds, 18 shillings, 6 pence for duty as Captain and Wagonmaster in 1779-1780. The S. C. Census of 1790. p. 35, shows Elinor, his widow, living at this date with 5 sons and 2 daughter." - Sons of the American Revolution
• Came as a young man (19 years of age) to Huntsville to keeping books at the Henderson National Bank and later became an Insurance executive. - Easterling
• Wife Martha Traylor from Columbus, Ga. She came to teach English at Huntsville High School, and they married in 1925. - Easterling
• Co-Chairman, Cancer Drive; Worthy Master, Helion Masonic Lodge 1, 1937-1938; President, Huntsville Rotary Club, 1940-1941; President, Huntsville Council for International Visitors, 1965-1968 and 1970-1971; Chairman, Municipal Medical Board; President, Board of Fire Underwriters, 1960; Field Director, Red Cross World War II in England; Secretary, Huntsville-Madison County Chamber of Commerce, 1951-1953; Third Army Citizens Award. - Record
• Medical Clinic Board, Fifth Avenue beginning in 1968 and ending sometime after this book was published in 1978. - Record
• Mr. Gates was mentioned: "The Epworth League, under the leadership of Mr. T. P. Gates, continued to grow." - Ford and Van Valkenburgh
• Charter Member of the Huntsville Historical Society. - Sesquicentenial
• Charter Member of the Huntsville Chapter of The Association of Life Underwriters organized in 1945. He was the first secretary-treasure. - Sesquicentenial
• Charter Member of the Huntsville Elks Lodge 1648. - Elks
• Attended the first meeting of Madison County Historical Association, November 18, 1851. - Russell
• Pick's contributions to the Rotary Club are tightly woven. He sat on practically every committee at one time or another. "He served as club president in 1940-41, was a district delegate to the international convention during that time, was a driving force in starting the Council for International Visitors, serving as its president for 12 years (still on the board in 1992), and has been a director of the Rotary-sponsored International House at Jacksonville State University for the last 35 years." - Easterling
• "Huntsville has close ties with Japan. In 1965, Mikio Kimata headed the first Japanese contingency to attend the Redstone missile school. So impressed with the friendliness of the people and their kindness, especially the valuable assistance of T. Pickens Gates who founded the Huntsville-Madison County Council for International Visitors, he and his wife gave the city its beloved red bridge in Big Spring Park and also the mystical cherry-blossom trees that invite lovers of all ages to sit below them and enjoy the sounds of ducks and geese paddling by. In 1989, Kimata sent a $1,000 check for tornado relief. In his own country, he has acted as Huntsville-Madison County's good-will ambassador, hosting civic and business leaders seeking closer ties and trade possibilities with the island nation. - Stephens
Related Links:
• Ancestry.com - Paged owned by walkerchet and can be viewed only with an Ancestry.com paid subscription. (Originally found at http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/25085913/person/1602572581.)
• Easterling - 75 Years of Service: A History of The Huntsville Rotary Club, by Bill Easterling, 1992, pages 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 35, 37, 39, 43, 47, 50, 69, 87, 96.
• Elks - Great Elks in Madison County?? You Better Believe It!! A History of Madison County, Alabama, Elkdom, by James Record, 1972, page 14.
• Ford and Van Valkenburgh - A History of The First United Methodist Church of Huntsville, Alabama 1808-1983, by Ruth Sykes Ford and updated by Nancy Wilkinson Van Valkenburgh, 1984, page 87.
• Member Addresses - Huntsville Historical Review, Volume 10, #3 & #4, Jul-80, Huntsville-Madison County Historical Society, page 57.
• Record - A Dream Come True: The Story of Madison County and Incidentally of Alabama and the United States, Volume II, by James Record, 1978 , pages 423 & 673.
• Russell - Article titled "The First Twenty Years of the Huntsville Historical Society" by Bessie Russell in the Huntsville Historical Review, Volume 1, #4, Oct-71, Huntsville-Madison County Historical Society page 20.
• Sesquicentenial - Commemorative Album, Celebrating our City's Sesquicentennial of Progress, Huntsville, Alabama, by James E. Taylor, General Chairman, 1955, pages 54, 60, 198, 217, 218, 219, 338.
• Sons of the American Revolution - His application for membership in the National Society Sons of the American Revolution as seen through an Ancestry.com paid subscription. (The original text is hard to read, so this information needs to be verified.)
• Stephens - Historic Huntsville: A City of New Beginnings, by Elise Hopkins Stephens, 2002, page 161.
The Following Pages Link to this Page:
• 416 Locust Avenue SE
• Martha Elizabeth Traylor Gates
• Member Addresses
• Record
• Russell
• Sesquicentenial