K. P. GILCHRIST, ENS, USN

K. P. Gilchrist '14

Date of birth: August 1889

Date of death: October 6, 1916

Age: 27

Lucky Bag

From the 1914 Lucky Bag:

K.P. Gilchrist

Leeton, Missouri

GILLIE was our veteran, our battle-scarred captain, who bossed our football team, from the time they entered the dressing room until the whistle blew and time was up. Gillie drove our team and drove it well; he was the man for the job.

The first thing that one learns with some surprise about Gillie is that contrary to the case of most of our football men, he stands well up in the class. He has attained this class standing just as he has attained his athletic ability, by constant, persistent, consistent, hard work. He is above all a plodder. Not essentially savvy, he has left many men naturally brighter and naturally better equipt way behind him. He is an excellent example of the man who made good use of his one talent and finds it multiplied by his efforts. He never goes into anything half-heartedly. He believes that whatever is worth while putting his time on is worth doing well, and to this his success may be attributed. He goes into anything with the determination to win, and he usually does.

Gillie isn't strong on the Mexican athletics, but once in a while he gets started and he has a wealth of novel experiences to dispense which puts the ordinary bull artist quite out of the running. From what has been said, it will be inferred that he is a rather serious-minded chap. He is deep, smiling seldom. He will work hard for any enterprise in which he is interested and the ship he reqs. for will receive a worker, and if he doesn't make his division the best on the ship it will be the first time Gillie has failed in getting the best results out of his material.

"Theoretically speaking, from a hypothetical standpoint."

"You git that bird; I'll git thissun."

Hinder (8th Co.); Bird (5th Co.); Football (4, 3, 2, 1); Football N***; Captain (1); Baltimore Sun's All-American (1913); Lacrosse (3, 2, 1); LNT; Heavyweight Boxing Champion (4); Treasurer of Athletic Association (2); Athletic Representative (4, 3).

K.P. Gilchrist

Leeton, Missouri

GILLIE was our veteran, our battle-scarred captain, who bossed our football team, from the time they entered the dressing room until the whistle blew and time was up. Gillie drove our team and drove it well; he was the man for the job.

The first thing that one learns with some surprise about Gillie is that contrary to the case of most of our football men, he stands well up in the class. He has attained this class standing just as he has attained his athletic ability, by constant, persistent, consistent, hard work. He is above all a plodder. Not essentially savvy, he has left many men naturally brighter and naturally better equipt way behind him. He is an excellent example of the man who made good use of his one talent and finds it multiplied by his efforts. He never goes into anything half-heartedly. He believes that whatever is worth while putting his time on is worth doing well, and to this his success may be attributed. He goes into anything with the determination to win, and he usually does.

Gillie isn't strong on the Mexican athletics, but once in a while he gets started and he has a wealth of novel experiences to dispense which puts the ordinary bull artist quite out of the running. From what has been said, it will be inferred that he is a rather serious-minded chap. He is deep, smiling seldom. He will work hard for any enterprise in which he is interested and the ship he reqs. for will receive a worker, and if he doesn't make his division the best on the ship it will be the first time Gillie has failed in getting the best results out of his material.

"Theoretically speaking, from a hypothetical standpoint."

"You git that bird; I'll git thissun."

Hinder (8th Co.); Bird (5th Co.); Football (4, 3, 2, 1); Football N***; Captain (1); Baltimore Sun's All-American (1913); Lacrosse (3, 2, 1); LNT; Heavyweight Boxing Champion (4); Treasurer of Athletic Association (2); Athletic Representative (4, 3).

Loss

From Find A Grave:

In 1916, he was stationed in the Philippines, where he caught pneumonia. He was shipped back to the states to the US Naval Hospital, Mare Island, California, in the hope that more could be done for him, there, but it was not to be.

Information on his career, and confirmation that he died in the hospital, is in the October 14, 1916 Army-Navy-Air Force Register and Defense Times.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

In 1900, K. P.’s family consisted of his father Cassius, the Lathrop postmaster, mother Addie, sisters Jennie, Ida and Marcella, and brothers Charles and Melvin.
On October 23, 1909, K. P. won his boxing match over Agnew “on account of his greater weight and experience in boxing.” The event was part of the Freshman Smoker per the 1910 Missouri University at Rolla yearbook.
In January 1910, he attended Wertz’s Preparatory School at Annapolis. In November, the Annapolis newspaper reported he was 5’ 9.5” tall and 169 pounds. “He is fast and has the fighting abilities of a bulldog, follows the ball exceptionally well.”
From the Evening Missourian, October 9, 1916:

A letter to Coach Brewer says that K. L. [P.] Gilchrist, Tiger football star of 1908 and ’09 and Captain of U. S. Naval Academy team in 1913, died last week at the Navy Hospital, Mare Island, California. Gilchrist entered the hospital to be operated on. The first operation was unsuccessful and a second one was performed. It proved fatal.
Gilchrist was one of the greatest football players that ever carried Missouri’s colors and is remembered for his great work in the Kansas game in 1909. He came to the University from his home in Lathrop, Mo., in 1907 and entered the School of Engineering. He played in the Freshman team of that fall. The following year he played on the Varsity at end and half back. He was in every game that year. The following year found Gilchrist at the Rolla School of Mines. Late in the fall he left Rolla and came to Missouri in time to get into the historic battle with Kansas that year. Missouri won the game 12-6 and the Tiger star was a great factor in the winning. In 1910 “Gilly” received an appointment to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md., and was graduated in 1913 [1914.] He made the navy team his first year and played the four years he was in the school.
The former Tiger football star was an all-around athlete at Annapolis, being the champion heavyweight wrestler and boxer of the school. As these two sports are very popular at the Navy school the honor was very difficult in attaining.
Gilchrist is remembered by old Missouri fans as a hard working football player, his one drawback being a fiery temper. He was popular with the student body and with his fellow players and his progress and success at Annapolis was watched closely by Valley football followers.

He is buried in Missouri.