David Gaddy

[SSlater]

I regret to say that David Gaddy died this morning (Sun. 22 Nov.). in Tappahannock, VA. He had hospitalized about a week ago having suffered a stroke. There will be a service Wednesday Nov 25 at the Episcopal Church in Tappahannock at 1 PM.

[L Verge]

Another great contributor to our knowledge is gone. So sad. He was one of the good guys.

[John Fazio]

(11-22-2015 12:47 PM)L Verge Wrote:  Another great contributor to our knowledge is gone. So sad. He was one of the good guys.

Everyone:

This is terrible news. The three giants of assassination research (Tidwell, Hall and Gaddy), whose labors succeeded in blowing the lid off the simple conspiracy theory and whose works inspired me, are now gone. Just awful.

John

[BettyO]

I'm so distressed to hear this - Dave was one of the greats....another cog in the wheel is gone. The Old Guard is passing.....

[Gene C]

I never had the opportunity to meet Dave Gaddy, Mr. Tidwell, Mr. Hall, and Art Loux. But I can see how their efforts has encouraged many of you who share your enthusiasm and knowledge with the rest of us. They would be pleased to know how much you appreciate them, and that you follow their example. That's the best tribute you can give to anyone.

[SSlater]

If anyone is so inclined: A memorial contribution may be made to the " Rebecca L. Gaddy Memorial Scholarship Fund. via check payable to University of Virginia School of nursing. Please reference the scholarship fund and mail to : Univ. of Virginia School of Nursing, Alumni & Development Office, P. O. Box801015, Charlottesville, VA 229081015.
Also: If you would like to add to this posting, such as those now posted, I will print the post and send it to the family. JOHN

[wpbinzel]

I join in the well deserved salute to David Gaddy. While I never met General Tidwell, Mr. Hall or Mr. Gaddy, Come Retribution was a real game-changer. In the scholarship of Lincoln’s assassination, there are many excellent books on what happened, Come Retribution was the first serious investigation into why it happened. So much of the “traditional history” theories of Booth’s motivation; his travels in late-1864 and early-1865; his introduction to Dr. Mudd and John Surratt; the recruitment of the other conspirators; the course of his escape and the assistance he received; the notion of his being a “crazy, drunk Southern Sympathizer”; etc., simply did not seem plausible. For me (and I suspect others), Come Retribution did more to stimulate my thinking and re-examination of what I thought I knew about Lincoln’s assassination than any other single book. While it may not have all the answers (and its authors would likely be the first to admit that), I believe that Come Retribution has influenced the authors who have come after it, and will have a greater influence on research into Lincoln’s assassination over the next 50 years than any other one book had in shaping it in the first 100 years. Thank you, Mr. Gaddy.

[L Verge]

What a nice tribute, Bill. I said much the same thing in a sympathy card that I sent to Mrs. Gaddy. Dave gave a lot of talks to various groups about the Confederate Secret Service, which was his specialty, and he was a vital partner in the trio who opened many eyes (and even some closed minds) to the history of and importance of understanding the Confederate espionage system and the implications of its involvement in the Lincoln assassination. That Secret Service knowledge - coupled with his professional career in the field with the Department of Defense and experience with cryptology - made him especially valuable while the three searched for and defended evidence of top Confederate involvement in at least the early stages of plotting.

That said, however, Dave was sometimes the forgotten member of that trio (perhaps because he was still working in the U.S. espionage field at the time?) while other historians were bantering the book's worth. And much of that banter was based on "none of those authors are trained historians..." Maybe that's why the material that was uncovered is so important. It was gathered by men working for a living in the field that they were investigating. Each of the three had very strong backgrounds in investigations and underground activities over a combined total of about 100 years of training and real-life experiences in those fields. That should not be taken likely.

John Stanton was kind enough to send Dave's obituary from the Tappahannock newspaper. I will send it to Roger in hopes that it can be posted here.

[RJNorton]

Thank you to Laurie for sending David Gaddy's obituary.