Welcome to the offical website of the campaign to Elect Gary McKiddy
Dr. Gary McKiddy decided to enter politics after 37 years as an educator because he feels now is the time to put the 18th District on a path that will be pro-active rather than re-active. As your representative in Jefferson City, he will work with Governor Nixon to attract green jobs to the state, improve education and make higher education and vocational training and re-training available to all Missourians, and to provide common sense legislation so that Missouri children will not be left without health care nor will parents have to chose between feeding their children and paying their bills.
Dr. McKiddy was raised in St. Louis and St. Louis County . His father was a U.S. Marine. His stepfather worked for McDonnell-Douglas and was a member of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Union. Gary and his wife, Gale, purchased their first home in St. Charles County 29 years ago and moved into the City of St. Charles in 1987. Gale’s father was a member of the Carpenter’s Union .
Gary and his wife both received their Bachelors and Masters Degrees from Truman (then Northeast Missouri State University ). In 1990, he completed a Doctor of Arts Degree in History at Illinois State University in Bloomington/Normal. Their son, Clayton, graduated from St. Charles High School and then attended Maryville University . He is now working as a Critical Care Nurse at DePaul Hospital . Twice he has gone to Ecuador on medical missions sponsored by the DePaul Foundation and Wings of Hope.
Gary ’s teaching career includes 22 years with the City of St. Charles Schools, 15 years with St. Charles Community College , and 6 years at Louisiana High School ( Louisiana , Pike County , Missouri ). While in Louisiana , Missouri , he co-founded the Raintree Theatre Guild which later expanded into the Pike County Raintree Arts Council and operates the Apple Shed Arts Center in Clarksville . In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he and his wife taught at schools in Egypt and Saudi Arabia . Gale worked as a school counselor and later as a school psychological examiner.
While teaching in the St. Charles City Schools, Dr. McKiddy was a member of the St. Charles Education Association/NEA. For a number of years, he was chair of the Association’s Grievance Committee. At St. Charles High School , he taught Social Studies, English, Speech and Drama as well as Advanced Placement History courses and college credit courses for Lindenwood and St. Louis University . In 1993-1994, he was selected as the District’s Teacher of the Year as well as being named the Lindenwood Chapter Phi Beta Kappa’s Outstanding Contributor to Education in St. Charles County . At St. Charles High, Dr. McKiddy was also the coordinator for the St. Charles-Ludwigsburg, Germany Sister City Student Exchange Program which in the past 15 years has made it possible for over 1,000 students to experience life in a foreign country. After retiring from the St. Charles Schools, he has remained active in the St. Charles Retired Educational Employees organization and has served as its Vice President.
In addition to teaching, Dr. McKiddy has played an active role in the community. He has served 12 years on the Board of Directors of the St. Charles County Historical Society and has three times been elected its president. He has also been on the Board of Directors of the St. Charles Sister City Club as well as serving on the Board of Directors of the St. Louis German School Association.
Professionally, he has served on the Boards of Directors for the Missouri Council for History Education and the Missouri Council for the Social Studies and is a frequent presenter at their conferences. Professional articles written by Dr. McKiddy have appeared in journals such as Teaching History: a Journal of Methods and St. Charles County Heritage. During his teaching career, Dr. McKiddy was selected to participate in study abroad programs funded by the Fulbright Program of the U.S. State Department, the Freeman Foundation, and the National Association for Teaching About Asia.
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