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Lynn Lamar Gee by Mary Ellen Kerr Gee
Lynn Lamar Gee third son of William E. and Mary Ellen Kerr Gee was born in St. Anthony, Fremont County, Idaho, June 21, 1912. Graduated from Rexburg city schools eighth grade May 21, 1926—member of school orchestra. Trips to Logan temple—20 baptisms. Attended Madison High School 1926 7 8.
Was scout scribe, assistant patrol leader. Attended scout camp at Pine View 1926-7-8. Won many merit badges. Salt Lake conference April 1927. Took part of Geoffery in H.S. Play You and I presented in Rexburg, and in Rigby on March 28. Sang solo in minstrel show. Took part of Bill Cummings in opera In the Garden of the Shaw.
Member of class and school debate team. Member of "M News" and Madisonian staffs. Took part of O'Toole in opera The Crimson Star. Took part in school play Under Twenty. Won debate over Ashton, Idaho Falls, and Blackfoot twice. Madison High School debate team champions of southeastern Idaho. Went to state meet at Nampa. Defeated Buhl by seventeen points, April 11, 1929, winning the state championship for the negative. Visited Boise. Appointed senior patrol leader troop 48 B.S.A.
Attended Pocatello High School 1929/30. Took part in minstrel show. Took part of Bill Blake in opera Bell of Bagdad. Was member of boys council and glee club (Orpheus Club). On the "Red and Blue" staff. Won first place as tenor soloist in school contest, sang "Danny Boy" in district contest at Idaho Falls lost first place by 1/3 of a point.
Orpheus club won first, also in state contest at Boise. Attended University of Idaho Southern Branch. One semester. Worked in O.P. Skaggs store on Saturdays. Took tenor lead of Ben Baker in opera Riding down the Sky presented by the third ward M.I.A.
Was member of Pocatello stake male chorus which won first place in church grand finals in Salt Lake City in June 1931. Took vocal lessons from Clara Albion Harrison 1930/31. Sang over radio a number of times. Attended University of Idaho Southern Branch 1931/32. Took part of Colonel in college play No More Frontier. Took part of Pietro in opera Firefly. Took part, with Eileen, in M.I.A. contest dance "the Tango". Also M Mens oration. Recreation and dance co director, with Eileen, in third ward M.I.A.
Attended U.I.S.B. 1932/33. Graduated June 1933 with two year college certificate and state elementary teachers certificate. Attended six weeks summer school at B.Y.U.
Married Eileen Eschler July 3, 1933 at Provo. Married in Salt Lake Temple June 11, 1934 by George F. Richards. Was member of select chorus which sang in M.I.A. Concert in the Salt Lake Tabernacle in June 1934 under the direction of Noble Cain. Attended B.Y.U. 1933/4/5. Was assistant to Dr. Thomas L. Martin bacteriology, there by earning tuition. Did special experiments for U.S. Government earning some money. Eileen also attended B.Y.U.
Graduated June 4, 1935 with A.B. degree. Spent summer at Pocatello. Received a fellowship for $600 per year at Colorado State College at Fort Collins. Worked in soils laboratory 1935/36 also 1936/37 on $750 fellowship. Received Master of Science degree June 2, 1937. Parents and Vernon attended graduation. Spent summer in Pocatello. Went to Madison, Wisconsin in September 1937. Received an assistantship in soils laboratory working under Dr. E. B. Fred.
Worked in state fish hatchery summer 1938. Attended University of Wisconsin 1938/39/40. Taught classes until December. Accepted job at the state fish hatchery, attended school half days. Last semester took assistantship again (to fulfill resident requirements).
Passed preliminary exams for PhD in February 1940. worked at state fish hatchery summer 1940. Passed state civil service examination for junior bacteriologist. June 23,1941, received PhD degree from the University of Wisconsin. Accepted position as bacteriologist in Wisconsin conservation dept from June 1941 to July 1942. Gave paper at Society of American Bacteriologists meeting in Ames, Iowa, June 1942.
March 26, 1942 son Lamont Lynn was born. July 14, 1942 enlisted in U.S. Army Air Corps with commission of 2nd lieutenant. Spent six weeks in officers training school in Miami Beach, Florida. Sent to Kelly Field, San Antonio, Texas as teacher in administration, physics, mathematics, etc. Promoted to 1st lieutenant march 1943.
Was senior academic instructor. July 1944 was transferred by name to the Chemical Corps and assigned to camp Detrick, Frederick, Maryland. February 28, 1945 daughter Margo Eileen was born in Frederick. Received commission as Captain. Received commendation ribbon for chemical warfare research. Discharged from army in May, 1946. Spent that month in Pocatello. Accepted position as associate soil bacteriologist at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana. Research in soil microbiology and taught graduate classes, 1946/7/8.
September 1948 accepted a position on the faculty of Texas A & M College in College Station, Texas as professor of bacteriology in the biology department. Bought a home. Spent August of 1949 in Idaho. Visited Yellowstone park. Granted 18 months leave from Texas A & M to take civil service appointment in chemical warfare at Dugway proving ground, Dugway, Utah.
Family spent summer with parents in Pocatello. En route to Dugway from Texas visited Carlsbad Caverns, Grand Canyon, Bryce and Zions National Parks. Returned to Texas 1952. While at Dugway made several plane trips to east and west coasts. August 23,1952 with brothers and wives gave dinner at Hotel Bannock in Pocatello honoring parents golden wedding anniversary.
August 24 Merrill and Dorothy gave farewell family dinner for Lynn and family's return to Texas to resume position at Texas A & M. Found home and lot in good condition. First week in August 1953 attended national meeting of Society of American Bacteriologists in San Francisco.
Visited parents August 15 17. Family dinner at Merrill's twenty present. February 1,1954 accepted position as head of bacteriology department at Oklahoma A & M at Stillwater, Oklahoma. Sold home in College Station, Texas. attended SAB convention in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Bought large three story home. Parents visited in November, 1954. Spent August in Pocatello. Visited Mesa Verde National Park en route home. July 1955 trip to Yellowstone National Park with parents also visited craters of the Moon National Park, Arco, Idaho. August 1956 spent ten days in Pocatello, en route visited Frank Eschler and family in Madison, Wisconsin, Vernon and Barbara in Rochester, Minnesota and Ivin and Pearl in Lander, Wyoming.
With parents and family spent three days in Island Park. Was selected one of a special committee of ten to do special research for a government project. 1957/8 elected president faculty club Okla. State Univ. re-elected 1958/59. 1957 became charter member of American Academy for Microbiology. 1958 named president Missouri Valley Branch of American Society of Microbiology. Spent two weeks in august 1958 and 1959 in Pocatello. Children stayed at Merrill's. Latter summer family dinner at Merrill's for five brothers and their and families and parents. A boating and fishing party given the group by county commissioner Abbot. Also spent a day at Lava Hot Springs.
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