Descendent of Richard Gildersleeve Sr., who arrived from England with his family in Connecticut in 1635; Richard Sr., with son Richard Jr., signed the Hempstead (Long Island, NY) Petition in 1669, the first recorded document against taxation of the colonies without representation. Great-Great-Grandson of Corp. Philip Gildersleeve, a Minute Man of Capt. David Peirson's Company, Bridgehampton, New York in 1776. This elder Philip Gildersleeve, his father Obadiah, his son Sylvester, and other members of the Gildersleeve family were shipbuilders in Portland, CT. A village within Portland was named for the family. The subject here, Philip Gildersleeve, graduated from Portland High School. He worked for a time as a clerk for his father, in the general merchandise business begun by his grandfather, Ferdinand Gildersleeve. He was shown with his parents at the family home of 613 Main street in the 1910 US census, and joined by his younger brother James B. in the 1920 and 1930 census [Philip was also listed again at this address as of 1954 for a brief time, following the death of his parents; his brother lived next door at 609 Main street for many years with his wife and children]. The 1930 census listed his occupation as "traveling abroad". Perhaps his first experience of traveling abroad came in July 1925, when he, his mother, and brother, cruised aboard the "Fort St. George" to Bermuda. He sailed alone to England in May 1930, aboard the "Olympic". In May 1933, he cruised to Bermuda aboard the "Queen of Bermuda", with his young wife, Helen L. Fagan, perhaps their honeymoon, listing their address as Gildersleeve, CT. Sadly, she passed away at a Hartford hospital the day after Christmas, 1935. It was about this time frame (early 1930's), that Philip drove an auto, decorated with cartoon characters from Connecticut to California, seeking employment with Walt Disney; as they were not hiring at the time, he returned to Connecticut. Philip was licensed as an Amateur Radio operator at the age of 16; the 1926 "Citizen's Radio Call Book" listed his call sign as 1ANE (re-issued from an earlier station), at 613 Main St., Portland, under authority of the U.S. Department of Commerce. With the advent of new international radio regulations, the Federal Radio Commisssion terminated the call signs issued by the Commerce department in 1928, and issued new ones in compliance with international treaties; Philip was assigned the new call sign of W1CJD. It was said that Philip could send and receive radio telegraphy (International Morse Code) at 60 words per minute, and that he won several awards for his skills. Following the death of his 1st wife, Helen, he put his radio skills and sea-faring background to work, as a radio operator aboard various refrigerated cargo ships of the United Fruit Company, of New York (thus explaining the issuance of his Social Security card in New York). Among those ships were the "Musa" and "Atenas" (1936), the "Calamares" (1936-1937), the "Veragua" and "Pastores" (1937-1938), the "Antigua" and "Chiriqui" (1938), the "Jamaica" (1938-1939), and the "Talamanca" (1939). These ships hauled primarily bananas and other fruit to US markets from Colombia, Cuba, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, and Panama. In 1939, Philip changed careers, settling back in Portland, and becoming the Portland correspondent for the Middleton (CT) "Press" in 1940. In 1943, he was named county editor of the paper, and 1945, the Middleton news editor. Years later, he became the general news editor for the paper. Philip was a devoted family man, helping to raise 4 children with his second wife, Florence Ball Gildersleeve. He was a Captain of Fire Co. #2 for 9 years, of which he was a volunteer. For 8 years, he sat on the Portland Board of Education. He was a vestryman of Trinity Church. However, Philip is undoubtably best remembered as an artist, particularlly under the signature of "Gil, W1CJD", by literally hundreds of thousands of Amateur Radio operators around the world. He was a gifted cartoonist, with more than 1,500 sketches printed in "QST" magazine, published by the American Radio Relay League. A collection of some of his finest work for the magazine, spanning nearly 40 years, was republished in book form during 1986, and is still a popular seller ("Gil: a Collection of Classic Cartoons from QST"). His first work appeared in their June 1927 issue, with his first cover of the magazine printed in April 1930. Since his death, his work has been reprinted on a regular basis in the magazine. His June 1951 ink and water color cover was reissued as the cover of QST magazine in June 2015. In addition to cartoons, his artwork decorated various columns and advertisements in the magazine (and possibly anonomously in other competing magazines). "Gil" also designed a number of "QSL" cards (contact confirmation cards) for others, including the Yale University radio club. By far, the majority of his artwork was "ham radio" related, but not exclusively. A number of his sketches appeared in the "Middleton Press" and various trade magazines. Just months prior to his death from lung cancer, Philip was the chairman of the Portland Sesquicentennial committee, and drew the town's seal, which has been in use in various forms since that time. He pulled together elements of the town's history in creating the design, including the extensive brownstone mining and ship building industries.