I new little of the man himself--only the reputation of his product.
http://www.arizonarepublic.com/arizona/articles/0615obitmcmi15.html
Gale McMillan, hit bull's eye in work, life
By John Stanley
The Arizona Republic
Jun. 15, 2000
Accuracy was his goal.
The kind of accuracy that allows shooters to place five shots from a high-caliber rifle within a quarter-inch of each other at 100 yards.
And that's the kind of accuracy Gale McMillan delivered.
The longtime Phoenix resident was a mechanical genius who could visualize a new design, then build it from scratch. His company supplied sniper rifles for the FBI, Navy SEALs and the Army's Special Forces, as well as for police units around the country. Competition shooters treasure McMillan rifles for their extraordinary accuracy.
Though he built a multimillion-dollar company from a shoestring, McMillan was an unassuming, down-to-earth guy, generous with his time and always willing to share his expertise with others.
Gale Alvin McMillan died May 29 of bladder cancer. He was 69.
McMillan was born in Gilbert, but his family moved to Kayenta in 1937. He attended a one-room schoolhouse and spent hours exploring the countryside on his horse, Chief. While he was still in grade school, the movie Kit Carson was filmed in the area and McMillan got a job playing a kid on the wagon train.
He thought it was great - $5 a day and the best food he ever tasted, and all he had to do was play with the other kids.
Always nuts about airplanes, McMillan dropped out of Mesa High School to enlist in the Air Force and become an aircraft mechanic.
McMillan was soon promoted to flight engineer and spent hundreds of hours in the air. He had his share of mishaps - crash landings, power failures and flaming engines - but didn't give it much thought. That's just the way it was.
One weekend, he and his buddies drove to Wichita, Kan., to check out a bar called Fast Fred's Brass Rail. When Gloria Brown, a striking brunette wearing an off-the-shoulder Spanish blouse, strolled in, McMillan wasted no time. Only a few weeks after they met, McMillan informed Gloria's mother that he was going to marry her daughter, although she didn't know it yet.
And in 1950 he did.
In the late 1950s, McMillan began to compete in local ''benchrest'' shooting competitions where the goal is extreme accuracy. Wanting to improve his scores, he went to gunsmithing school and soon was crafting remarkably accurate rifles. He won the 1960 California State Championship with a .222-caliber rifle he built himself.
McMillan was in the Air Force for 20 years, serving in Oklahoma, Texas, Japan, California, Alaska and New Mexico. He retired from the military in 1968 and moved to Phoenix, where he went to work for Motorola as an engineering technician.
Wooden rifle stocks expand and contract slightly under varying weather conditions, degrading the accuracy of competition shooters' finely tuned rifles. McMillan wondered what he could do about it.
Fiberglass, he decided, was the way to go. Gloria told him to take their $2,000 life savings, spend it on his dream and, when it was gone, go back to work at Motorola.
McMillan made his first stocks in 1972 but business was so slow he had to go back to work at Motorola. Soon, however, the military, impressed by the durability and accuracy of the rifles with fiberglass stocks, placed several large orders and the success of the company was assured.
McMillan, who was always more interested in solving technical problems than running a business, sold the company in 1987.
Looking for a new challenge he founded the McMillan Optical Gunsight Co. and tackled the problem of night-vision scopes.
Using a hacksaw, he shaped the pieces he needed and created a rifle scope that could be used both day and night.
Though his workshop was a jumble of tools and sketches, McMillan was a craftsman who was revered throughout the shooting world.
McMillan is survived by his wife, Gloria, of Cave Creek; sons Rock, of Cave Creek, and Kelly, of Phoenix; sister Theda Reardon, of Chandler; six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
A Life Remembered celebrates the lives of interesting Arizonans who have recently passed away. To suggest someone, call John Stanley at (602) 444-4414 or e-mail Remembered@ArizonaRepublic.com.
http://www.arizonarepublic.com/arizona/articles/0615obitmcmi15.html
Gale McMillan, hit bull's eye in work, life
By John Stanley
The Arizona Republic
Jun. 15, 2000
Accuracy was his goal.
The kind of accuracy that allows shooters to place five shots from a high-caliber rifle within a quarter-inch of each other at 100 yards.
And that's the kind of accuracy Gale McMillan delivered.
The longtime Phoenix resident was a mechanical genius who could visualize a new design, then build it from scratch. His company supplied sniper rifles for the FBI, Navy SEALs and the Army's Special Forces, as well as for police units around the country. Competition shooters treasure McMillan rifles for their extraordinary accuracy.
Though he built a multimillion-dollar company from a shoestring, McMillan was an unassuming, down-to-earth guy, generous with his time and always willing to share his expertise with others.
Gale Alvin McMillan died May 29 of bladder cancer. He was 69.
McMillan was born in Gilbert, but his family moved to Kayenta in 1937. He attended a one-room schoolhouse and spent hours exploring the countryside on his horse, Chief. While he was still in grade school, the movie Kit Carson was filmed in the area and McMillan got a job playing a kid on the wagon train.
He thought it was great - $5 a day and the best food he ever tasted, and all he had to do was play with the other kids.
Always nuts about airplanes, McMillan dropped out of Mesa High School to enlist in the Air Force and become an aircraft mechanic.
McMillan was soon promoted to flight engineer and spent hundreds of hours in the air. He had his share of mishaps - crash landings, power failures and flaming engines - but didn't give it much thought. That's just the way it was.
One weekend, he and his buddies drove to Wichita, Kan., to check out a bar called Fast Fred's Brass Rail. When Gloria Brown, a striking brunette wearing an off-the-shoulder Spanish blouse, strolled in, McMillan wasted no time. Only a few weeks after they met, McMillan informed Gloria's mother that he was going to marry her daughter, although she didn't know it yet.
And in 1950 he did.
In the late 1950s, McMillan began to compete in local ''benchrest'' shooting competitions where the goal is extreme accuracy. Wanting to improve his scores, he went to gunsmithing school and soon was crafting remarkably accurate rifles. He won the 1960 California State Championship with a .222-caliber rifle he built himself.
McMillan was in the Air Force for 20 years, serving in Oklahoma, Texas, Japan, California, Alaska and New Mexico. He retired from the military in 1968 and moved to Phoenix, where he went to work for Motorola as an engineering technician.
Wooden rifle stocks expand and contract slightly under varying weather conditions, degrading the accuracy of competition shooters' finely tuned rifles. McMillan wondered what he could do about it.
Fiberglass, he decided, was the way to go. Gloria told him to take their $2,000 life savings, spend it on his dream and, when it was gone, go back to work at Motorola.
McMillan made his first stocks in 1972 but business was so slow he had to go back to work at Motorola. Soon, however, the military, impressed by the durability and accuracy of the rifles with fiberglass stocks, placed several large orders and the success of the company was assured.
McMillan, who was always more interested in solving technical problems than running a business, sold the company in 1987.
Looking for a new challenge he founded the McMillan Optical Gunsight Co. and tackled the problem of night-vision scopes.
Using a hacksaw, he shaped the pieces he needed and created a rifle scope that could be used both day and night.
Though his workshop was a jumble of tools and sketches, McMillan was a craftsman who was revered throughout the shooting world.
McMillan is survived by his wife, Gloria, of Cave Creek; sons Rock, of Cave Creek, and Kelly, of Phoenix; sister Theda Reardon, of Chandler; six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
A Life Remembered celebrates the lives of interesting Arizonans who have recently passed away. To suggest someone, call John Stanley at (602) 444-4414 or e-mail Remembered@ArizonaRepublic.com.
