ELIZABETHTON - Dr. Billy E. Gober, age 83, of Elizabethton TN, passed away suddenly on Sunday, January 31, 2021 at home. He was the son of the late Birdie Edgar and Marian Duggan Gober and was born on October 20, 1937 in Greensboro, GA.
Billy was a graduate of the University of Georgia. His professional experiences have been varied beginning as a science, health and physical education teacher at the elementary school level in Atlanta, GA. Billy taught at Briarcliff High School and coached football and gymnastics in Atlanta. He later served as coordinator for health and physical education and athletics for Georgia's DeKalb County School District. In 1968, he became a faculty member at the University of Georgia as a researcher at the Research and Development Center for Educational Stimulation. From 1972-1973, Billy was a professor at Temple University in Philadelphia. Returning to Georgia in 1973, he became the first Director of Health, Physical Education, and Athletics for the Cobb County School System. In the fall of 1975, he returned to the DeKalb County School System as a District Instructional Coordinator and conducted activities in tumbling, dancing, and swimming. He was selected to be the first coach of the Georgia Special Olympics team and accompanied them to the International Special Olympics team in California. Billy was also one of the original founders of the "Just Say No to Drugs" program.