COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. (WCAX) – A well-known Vermont geologist and trail advocate was killed in a wrong-way crash in Florida on Wednesday morning.
Arthur Gilbert, 96, of Dorset, died when a wrong-way driver slammed head-on into his car on Interstate 75 in Collier County, Florida.
Police say 24-year-old Genise Taylor was going north in the southbound lanes. Not long after, she slammed head-on into two cars, killing Gilbert.
Gilbert and his wife Pamela winter in Florida. He had just dropped her off at the airport.
“He would have been 97 April 9th,” Pamela said.
Gilbert was a well-known geologist in Vermont, working with the state, the University of Vermont, and national oil companies. But he was especially known for his community work in Dorset. He has deep roots there and helped preserve a hiking network. A lookout is named after his family, and a bench there honors Gilbert’s trail advocacy work.
“He had a long history of leading hikes to abandoned quarries on Dorset Mountain,” said Jon Matthewson with the Dorset Historical Society.
Matthewson joined Gilbert on those hikes for about 12 years. Both were on the Dorset Historical Society. Gilbert shared geological facts with fellow hikers while Matthewson shared the area’s history.
“He’s going to be a great loss. His knowledge and enthusiasm are just so memorable,” Matthewson said. “And in many ways, he will always be up in those trails, I think.”
Gilbert’s wife says she doesn’t want him remembered for the tragic end to his life but for what he gave to Vermont and his neighbors. “He’s just so well respected from every field, every person who has ever known him,” Pamela said. “He’ll be sorely missed, sorely missed by everybody. He was a fabulous, wonderful human being.”
Police say the wrong-way driver was drunk. Her blood alcohol content was nearly three times the legal limit. She’s charged with DUI manslaughter.
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