5 minute read
Pirate Nation
Next Article
The Other Dr. Gilmer
ALUMNUS WRITES STORY OF A MOUNTAIN MURDER AND MENTAL HEALTH
Dr. Benjamin Gilmer ’06
When Dr. Benjamin Gilmer ’06 reported to his new job as a rural physician in western North Carolina, he learned he had the same last name as the doctor he was replacing.
From there, the story shifted from coincidence to saga that he turned into a book about physician advocacy, incarceration and mental illness .
The Other Dr. Gilmer: Two Men, a Murder, and an Unlikely Fight for Justice, published by Penguin Random House in March, chronicles a story that was featured on NPR’s This American Life in 2013 and is now being produced as a motion picture . The story began when Gilmer got a job near Asheville replacing Dr . Vince Gilmer — the two are not related — after the latter doctor went to prison for killing his father .
“I’m a family medicine doctor, and I wanted to share that one really important part of what we do as physicians, especially family medicine physicians, is to advocate,” Gilmer said . “That’s the biggest thing I want to leave for students: that it’s OK to jump into a journey you may never have known before . ”
Gilmer, who is also an associate professor at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and Mountain Area Health Education Center’s Family Medicine Residency program, realized he needed to write the book in 2017, after then-Gov . Terry McAuliffe of Virginia denied a clemency petition for Vince Gilmer, who had been sentenced to life in prison .
Vince Gilmer practiced medicine at Cane Creek Family Health Center in Fletcher until June 2004 . He was convicted of strangling his father with a rope; he then cut off his fingers and left the body on the side of a road in Virginia . Vince Gilmer returned to the clinic and practiced medicine for several days before he was arrested . He eventually confessed to the killing .
When Benjamin Gilmer joined the clinic, patients told him Vince Gilmer had been a great doctor and person . Filled with curiosity and questions, Benjamin Gilmer began visiting Vince Gilmer in prison and became convinced his predecessor suffered from serious mental health issues, including Huntington’s disease, an inherited disease that can cause bizarre or unusual behavior, that were not recognized by prison officials .
From there, Benjamin Gilmer’s passion for justice grew until he was compelled to find time to write the book . Gilmer would get up at 4 or 5 a .m . to write, go care for patients and then write more after work .
His advocacy might have made a difference . On Jan . 13, Virginia Gov . Ralph Northam — who read a preview copy of The Other Dr. Gilmer — pardoned Vince Gilmer, now 59 . Because of COVID restrictions and a lack of beds in a suitable psychiatric institution, he is still in prison but looks forward to his future .
“So much about studying medicine either beats the ideals out of you or consolidates them and makes them stronger,” Ben Gilmer said . “I want to use this book as a tool to help protect (students’) idealism and help strengthen their focus about the importance of pursuing advocacy work and social justice in medicine — to make sure it’s on their radar and to encourage them to be bold . ” — Spaine Stephens
The Art of Giving
Producing art is a passion. Teaching art is a privilege. Ensuring future generations of promising artists have the opportunity to learn and grow? That’s a legacy.
And it’s what has led renowned artist and teacher Bob Rankin ’70 to give back to the university that opened up a world of possibility to a young man with a dream.
A Raleigh native, Rankin joked he didn’t exactly “set the world on fire” as a Broughton High School student. Math and science were just distractions that kept him from doing what he loved: exploring colors and mediums as a burgeoning young artist.
“ECU gave me a chance to prove myself as a student, and for that I’m forever grateful,” Rankin said. “I loved the teaching, the community and the one-on-one connections I made at ECU. It was a whole new world for me.”
After graduating with a degree in art education, Rankin had a long and successful career as a high school art teacher. He spent 25 years at Sanderson High School in Raleigh – bringing national acclaim to the school through the National Scholastic Art Awards and earning it a reputation as one of the area’s leading art programs.
As a mixed media artist, his work can be abstract or dimensional – and sometimes a marriage of the two. But one common strand within his work? Color.
“I’m a colorist – and am never afraid of using color,” Rankin said. “Beyond that, I’m always trying new things. I have a low tolerance for boredom. I work through series I’ll enter into juried shows, series I’ll produce for galleries and then of course I’m always changing what I have displayed in my home studio.”
Since leaving Sanderson in 2000, teaching has remained a large part of his life.
“I’ve been able to teach workshops all over the world. I spent several summers in Italy teaching workshops at the La Romita School of Art in a renovated 16th century monastery in the middle of oil groves and vineyards,” Rankin said. “Having locals bring in lunches, along with carafes of local red and white wine on each table, was an incredible experience.”
Rankin hopes he can pass that same love of art and teaching to new generations of ECU students. In addition to his longtime scholarship support to the School of Art and Design, Rankin has a planned gift to create the Robert George Rankin IV Scholarship, which will support art and design students, with priority given to those studying painting and art education.
“I look at it this way: I’ve been able to make some money producing artwork that’s allowed me to take care of my family. Now it’s time for me to provide others with the same wonderful opportunity I’ve had,” Rankin said. “What better legacy could I leave than giving someone else the gift of education?” — Caroline Barnhill
INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION OF ARTISTS AND CREATORS
Bob Rankin ’70
