STUBBS, Gilbert Stuart, 95, passed away at his home of 60 years in Wellesley, Massachusetts on Tuesday February 21, 2023. Born August 14, 1927, in Baltimore, Maryland, he was the son of Simon and Jeannette (Drummond) Stubbs. He graduated from Central High School, Philadelphia, PA, in June 1945 and began studies in electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He enlisted in the US Army after one year at MIT and was assigned to the 29th Engineering Battalion in Manila, The Philippines. Upon his honorable discharge he returned to finish two engineering degrees at MIT. He married Anne-Marie Bronlund of Pittsfield, MA, who died in December 2008 after 57 years of marriage. Gil worked at Westinghouse in Pittsburgh, PA, and at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, PA, where he got a patent.
In 1963 Gil moved to Wellesley and joined the staff of the MIT Instrumentation Labs, later renamed the Charles Stark Draper Laboratories. He designed the digital auto-pilot for the Apollo flight to the moon in the 1960s and 1970s, among other projects at Draper. He also did research for the guidance and control of the first US space station, Skylab. Gil was deeply and proudly involved in conservative politics most of his life. He wrote a critical analysis of the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT) which was published in the Congressional Record. He debated former Central High fellow graduate and renowned linguist Noam Chomsky as well as alternative historian Howard Zinn on US foreign policy on WGBH radio. In retirement Gil taught and performed magic in the Boston area. For a period of time he hosted “Gil’s World of Magic” on the Wellesley Cable TV Access channel. He is survived by three children, Susan (Chris) Brunner of Bolton Landing, NY, and The Villages, Florida, David (Kristi) Stubbs of Mountain View, CA, and Jeannette (Craig) Ligget of Media, PA; six grandchildren Christopher (Erin) and Mark Brunner, Ashley and Matthew Stubbs and Ian and Kevin Ligget and two great-grandchildren, Colin and Ryan Brunner. He was predeceased by his grandson, Stephen Brunner, in 2005.
A Celebration of Life will be held at George F. Doherty & Sons Funeral Home, 477 Washington St., Wellesley, on March 11 at 1 PM with a memorial service at 2 PM. Gilbert is being laid to rest next to his wife at the Woodlawn Cemetery in Wellesley. Memorial donations may be made to the USO at https://www.uso.org or to the MSPCA-Angell, Attn: Donations, 350 South Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02130 or https://www.mspca.org