Tom Sturgill: Gatewood Stirred the Pot

I knew Gatewood for many years and always enjoyed running into him, wherever it might be. 

He was always upbeat and had something interesting to say.  He was the kind of person who could make your day a little brighter just by speaking with him briefly.  

His eternal optimism was always refreshing.  You have to admire a man who stood up for what he believed was right (not a trait of a lot of politicians) and had no hesitation in expressing to you his opinion. 

I remember running into him at Good Foods Co-Op on Southland Drive during the 2007 gubernatorial race, and he gave me an autographed copy of his book.  I asked him how his campaign was going, and he said “we’re going to win this thing.” 

I remember seeing him during prior campaigns standing on Versailles Road after the races at Keeneland with his campaign sign in hand, waving to everyone, as all of the traffic was going by, and I remember thinking it was a shame he was unable to raise more money so he would have a real shot.   

I remember seeing him at Keeneland in October of last year, and I asked him how the campaign was going, and he said it was going well.  “We’re going to beat Williams.”

I for one will miss seeing Gatewood, and I am sorry he never won one of his races.  I believe he would have done a good job in public office, and he certainly would have “stirred the pot.”  I also wish he had lived to run at least one more time.