Remembering Gale Pate's Legacy

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I grew up knowing the Pate name.

Juvenile Shoe Factory is what brought my mom to Aurora from northwest Arkansas after World War II.

The Pate girls were pretty, fun and out-going.

Linda was in my class at school.

Later in life, Gale Pate would help start the Senior Advisory Group for the local Chamber of Commerce. I thought the SAG acronym was hilarious. The glaring stares from him, my mother and my first boss, Carl Wise, quickly put me in my place.

When we celebrated Gale's long life a few days ago on a hot July afternoon, we spoke openly about his love for Aurora, his family, his church, his school and his country.

Our legacies don't get much better than that.