GAITHER, Carl C. 1944-

PERSONAL: Born June 3, 1944, in San Antonio, TX; son of Clifford C. (an air force officer) and Pearl (a registered nurse) Gaither; married Alma E. Cavazos (a writer), December 14, 1995; children: (previous marriage) Carl C. III, H. Wayne, Russell J.; (present marriage; stepchildren) Melissa, Marcus, Matthew, Maritza, Maurice, Marilynn. Ethnicity: "Caucasian." Education: University of Hawaii—Manoa, B.A., 1972; McNeese State University, M.A. (psychology), 1974; Northeast Louisiana University, M.A. (criminal justice), 1980; University of Southwestern Louisiana, M.S., 1985. Politics: Liberal. Religion: Roman Catholic. Hobbies and other interests: Swimming, scuba diving, travel, hiking, reading, underwater photography, collecting stamps.

ADDRESSES: Home and Office—502 Weiss, Killeen, TX 76542; fax: 254-554-8895. E-mail—cgaither@nlink.com.

CAREER: Educator and author. Louisiana State Penitentiary, hospital administrator for prison hospital; Texas Department of Corrections, research assistant; University of Southwest Louisiana, Lafayette, teacher of remedial mathematics, 1983-85; McNeese State University, Lake Charles, LA, teacher of mathematics and statistics, 1985-86; Aviation Test Board, Dothan, AL, civilian mathematical statistician, 1987-88; Aviation Test Directorate, Fort Hood, TX, civilian engineering psychologist, 1988-90, civilian operations research analyst, 1990-95; high school mathematics teacher, 1992—. Military service: U.S. Navy, aviation anti-submarine technician.

AWARDS, HONORS: Commander's Award for Civilian Service, Department of the Army, 1995.

WRITINGS:

with wife, alma e. cavazos-gaither; illustrated by andrew slocombe

Statistically Speaking: A Dictionary of Quotations, IOP Publishing (Philadelphia, PA), 1996.

Physically Speaking: A Dictionary of Quotations on Physics and Astronomy, IOP Publishing (Philadelphia, PA), 1997.

Practically Speaking: A Dictionary of Quotations on Engineering, Technology, and Architecture, IOP Publishing (Philadelphia, PA), 1998.

Mathematically Speaking: A Dictionary of Quotations, IOP Publishing (Philadelphia, PA), 1998.

Engineeringly Speaking: A Dictionary of Quotations, IOP Publishing (Philadelphia, PA), 1998.

Medically Speaking: A Dictionary of Quotations on Dentistry, Medicine, and Nursing, IOP Publishing (Philadelphia, PA), 1999.

Scientifically Speaking: A Dictionary of Quotations, IOP Publishing (Philadelphia, PA), 2000.

Naturally Speaking: A Dictionary of Quotations, IOP Publishing (Philadelphia, PA), 2001.

Chemically Speaking: A Dictionary of Quotations, IOP Publishing (Philadelphia, PA), 2002.

Astronomically Speaking: A Dictionary of Quotations, IOP Publishing (Philadelphia, PA), 2003.

SIDELIGHTS: Carl C. Gaither once told CA: "For a number of years I was employed as an operations research analyst. My work frequently required me to write reports and to give oral reports of a statistical nature. I complained to the technical librarian that there just weren't many quotations books that were useful to writing scientific papers. Quotation books which present full documentation and attribution are rare. Quotation books which specialize on a topic are even rarer. Quotation books that are documented and fully attributed and also pertain to scientific topics are, for all intents and purposes, nonexistent. The librarian told me to stop complaining and to write such a book.

Taking her advice, I compiled the book Statistically Speaking: A Dictionary of Quotations. At this time I was going through a divorce and, as a result, I did not follow the progress of the manuscript review by the publisher. About a year after the initial submission of the manuscript I received word that it was accepted for publication, but would need a significant amount of revision. It was at this time that I married Alma. Alma was very interested in working with me on the revision, and we found that she had an uncanny ability to locate a quotation that lay hidden between the covers of a book. Her contribution to the first book was to verify the attributes and insure that the quotations were quoted correctly.

"Alma and I decided that we wanted to do a second book, on physics quotations, and the publisher was interested in seeing the manuscript when it was compiled. Alma and I worked frantically for about six months and made virtually every mistake that two people could make in compiling a book of quotations. However, we finally had the manuscript completed, and the publisher agreed to publish this book. We suggested a topic for a third book—mathematical quotations—and this book was also accepted for publication. We now have a process in place in which we can compile a book of quotations in about three months. Alma searches for quotations that need to have the attributes identified, and I will review thousands of books in search of new quotations. Our combined effort now results in a manuscript that is completed and ready for review in a very short time."