Benjamin McGilmer, Jr

Benjamin McGilmer, Jr. was born on August 13, 1945, in Marysville, Tennessee, and passed away peacefully, June 6, 2020, at the Atlanta Veterans Administration Medical Center in Decatur, Georgia. Ben was the first of seven children born to Clara Mae Alcorn and Benjamin McGilmer, Sr. He was raised in Detroit, Michigan. During his early years in school, he excelled academically and athletically. Tall and slender, often introducing himself as “Skinny Benny, good for 20”, he was an All State athlete in basketball, football, and track and field. He graduated from Northwestern High School in 1964. His athletic prowess caught the attention of college coaches throughout the nation, which afforded him several scholarships. He accepted a basketball scholarship from the University of Iowa and spent his first two years of college there. His academic and athletic career came to an abrupt halt when, after his sophomore year, he was drafted into the U. S. Army. During his service in the military, he played on the All Army Basketball team. Playing their best, the team was undefeated due to the looming threat from their coach to send them to Vietnam if they ever lost. While stationed at Fort Lewis in Tacoma, Washington, he met and married Margaret Mary Zittel in 1968. After completing his tour with the U. S. Army, the couple returned to the University of Iowa where he played on what became known as the "Greatest team in Iowa's Men's Basketball history." During his time playing for Iowa, the Hawkeyes were undefeated in the Big 10 Conference, which resulted in them playing in the 1969 NCAA Championship Tournament. During his time at the University of Iowa, Ben became the proud father of his only child, Christopher Jordan McGilmer. He received draft offers from the National Basketball Association (NBA) Seattle Supersonics (now Oklahoma City Thunder) in 1969 and the Baltimore Bullets (now Washington Wizards) in 1970. He turned down the offers and decided to take his skills to Europe with his family accompanying him. Ben started out playing for famed basketball coach Jim McGregor and the traveling Gillette All-Stars, helping to spread the first wave of American style basketball throughout Europe. He ended up playing on several European teams including Belgium, France, and Turkey. After retiring from playing basketball, he coached the Turkish Junior National Team. After his coaching career, he moved to Spain in 1990 and opened a fine jewelry boutique on the Costa del Sol in Mijas, Spain. While in Spain, he helped to establish another world record by playing in an historic game that was designated by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest marathon basketball game ever played (25 hours and 54 minutes.) This event took place in 1992 in Malaga, Spain. While in spending many years in Europe, he engaged in several languages and became fluent in French, Turkish and Spanish. After spending several years in Spain, he returned to the United States in 2007. Soon after his arrival, he met Faye Tate, his beloved companion, at a quilting workshop in Atlanta, Georgia. For several years the couple enjoyed numerous shared activities such as quilting, travelling, and attending concerts and plays. Later, Ben studied Computer Networking Systems at ITT Technical Institute in Atlanta, Georgia, and graduated with a degree in Computer Programming in 2011. He also worked as a substitute teacher in the DeKalb County School System. His hobbies included attending concerts and plays, playing the guitar, and watching movies and sports. His passion, however, was spending as much time as possible with his three magnificent grandchildren. He is fondly remembered by his son, Dr. Christopher J. McGilmer and his grandchildren Kaya, Maxwell, and Chai as well as his devoted companion, Faye Tate. Additionally, his memory is cherished by his two remaining siblings, Weldon McGilmer and Brenda McGilmer, as well as nieces and nephews Michelle, Eric, William, Anthony, Crystal, Te’Igo, T. J. and Zaire and a host of grand nieces and nephews (all of Nashville, Tennessee), along with several friends, particularly his devoted friends Dave Phillips and Nell McGaffie. Celebration of Life Services (Invitation Only) for Benjamin McGilmer, Jr. will be held at 1:00PM on Sunday, July, 12, 2020. These services will be recorded and streamed live. In the event the service is interrupted at any time due to technical issues, the entire service will be uploaded and available for viewing on this link later the same day. Please copy and paste the link to share it, or simply click on the link to view the service. https://vimeo.com/435191958 Services entrusted to Gregory B. Levett & Sons Funeral Home, Avondale-Scottdale Chapel. 351 N. Clarendon Ave. Scottdale, GA 30079. (404)294-5500.

Tributes

Benjamin McGilmer, Jr

August 13, 1945 - June 6, 2020