Gilbert Burnett Jr. ’43

Gil died Sept. 13, 2009, in Newport, R.I.  

Born in Louisville, Ky., he entered Princeton from Louisville Male High School. Gil majored in biology at Princeton and was a member of Cap and Gown Club. Following graduation, he enlisted in the Army and subsequently joined the Office of Strategic Services. While in the OSS, Gil completed missions in China and Indochina. After World War II, he worked for the CIA as a scientific-intelligence analyst in Washington, D.C. There he met his first wife, Hildreth, with whom he had a daughter. With his second wife, Daphne, he had two sons.

Gil was a teacher at several independent schools, including Punahou School, Hawaii Preparatory School, and Phillips Andover Academy, before becoming chair of the science department at St. George’s School in Newport, where he taught for 27 years. In addition to biology, Gil taught courses in anthropology and psychology. A keen mountaineer and outdoorsman, Gil was instrumental in establishing the Outward Bound program in the United States.

Gil was predeceased by Daphne. He is survived by his daughter, Helen Hildreth; sons Michael and Jefferson; and five grandchildren.