The Rubenstein School is saddened to announce the passing of Professor Al Gilbert, a pioneer and longtime faculty member in the Rubenstein School. Al was a first-generation American (his parents were from Belgium) and a first-generation college graduate. He earned his Bachelors and Masters degrees from Michigan State University in the early 1960s. Following this, he was in the first wave of volunteers for the U.S. Peace Corps, serving in Ecuador from 1963 to 1965, an experience he found transformative. 

He returned to the U.S. to pursue a Ph.D. in Resource Economics from Colorado State University. After earning his doctorate, he accepted a faculty position as Assistant Professor of Resource Economics in the UVM College of Agriculture. He enthusiastically agreed to join the initial group of faculty that launched UVM’s new School of Natural Resources (now the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources) in 1974, and was instrumental in the formation of the School’s Recreation Management Program (now the Parks, Recreation, and Tourism (PRT) Program).

Faculty colleague and friend, Professor Bob Manning remembers Al fondly. Al and his wife, Linda, welcomed Bob and his wife, Martha to UVM when Bob joined the UVM faculty in 1976, and they remained close friends and colleagues. Bob notes that Al and his long-time friend and colleague Professor Jack Lindsay were founders and leaders of the PRT Program, helping to design and teach the program’s innovative curriculum that educated thousands of Rubenstein School students. Al was also an accomplished scholar, applying his knowledge of Resource Economics to document the value of parks and outdoor recreation, and the natural environment more broadly. 

Bob has good memories of the study he and Al conducted for the Vermont Department of Forests and Parks. He notes that “Al’s work on this study helped quantify the economic value of parks and outdoor recreation to the State of Vermont, and this was instrumental in generating and maintaining state support for this vital program and department.”

Another of Al’s signature contributions to the Rubenstein School was the inventive course he designed and taught on Ski Area Management. Highlighting the importance of the ski industry to Vermont, the course taught students about this evolving business and prepared them for careers in this important use of the natural environment, both in Vermont and across the nation. When Dave Kaufman joined the PRT faculty, Al generously offered the Ski Area Management course to him because of Dave’s experience in the ski business. Dave notes that “Al’s original creation is still going strong and remains popular with PRT students.”

Al was a strong contributor to the broader Rubenstein School as well. Former Dean Larry Forcier notes that Al played an important role in the development of the Rubenstein School’s efforts to learn and teach about the environment in a holistic way that includes both the natural and social sciences. Larry writes that Al was a model for all of us in his enjoyment and appreciation of the natural environment, regularly spending time in the out-of-doors, fishing, hunting, and watching wildlife around the state and at his home in Charlotte. 

Al was a valued friend of all during his time at the Rubenstein School. Forestry Professor Dale Bergdahl and Al were good hunting and fishing buddies. On one occasion, Dale reports he was assigned by Linda to keep Al busy all day as she prepared for Al’s surprise 50th birthday party that evening. Unfortunately, the fish weren’t biting that day, so Dale talked Al into checking out some hunting sites until the appointed hour.     

Al was a devoted family man as well and a strong contributor to the welfare of others around the world. He and Linda have three daughters (Monique, Nicole, and Danielle), all of whom graduated from UVM. For more than 20 years, Al and Linda organized and led a group of volunteers from Vermont who travelled to Tela, Honduras and the surrounding countryside where they helped build schools and hospitals designed to support women and children. For example, they built a neonatal infant care unit, a physical therapy center, and a pediatric ward. They also recruited dental and women’s health specialists to travel with them. Their group contributed supplies of toothbrushes, reading glasses, clothing, and other items for residents. Al and Linda were a vital and beloved part of the Tela community.

Al retired from the Rubenstein School in 2000 and continued to live in his beautiful home in Charlotte, enjoying his life with Linda, their family, and longtime friends. Donations in honor of Al may be sent to the Peace Corps Ecuador Fund and the Guanacaste Dry Forest Conservation Fund.