Chilcote celebrates milestone birthday, continues care for museum

By Kirsten Stokes

As he celebrates his 90th birthday, the director of a local museum is reflecting on a decades-long legacy involving an extensive collection of artifacts that date back to the 1800s. 

Gary Chilcote, director of the Patee House Museum, marked the milestone birthday on Nov. 2. Since 1963, he has worked at the museum daily and has no plans to stop.

“I don’t even think about my age. It’s just whatever it is,” Chilcote said. “There’s always something to do here and keep you busy.” 

Whether it’s the 1870 Buffalo Saloon, the Jesse James House or the 1860 Hannibal-St. Joseph Railroad train in the center of the museum, Chilcote’s mind is still sharp on the facts of every display. 

“Here it is being brought in,” said Chilcote, explaining the mechanics of the export of the Hannibal train. “It was brought in 1970, offloaded at 15th and Mitchell and put on a truck with 27 wheels.” 

In addition to his list of accolades, Chilcote was a journalist for the Gazette and later the St. Joseph News-Press, where he reported on many stories, including a notable 30-minute interview with Walter Cronkite at the Overland Park Marriott.

Chilcote notes a strong connection between his family and the owners of the newspapers. 

“I worked for his (current Chairman and CEO David Bradley) father and his grandfather, and so we were around the Bradleys. Then my dad, managing editor (Merrill Chilcote), was there 56 years and I was there 40 years,” Chilcote said. 

For Chilcote, keeping the motivation to stay consistent with his work is simple.

“There’s always something to do here and keep you busy,” he said. 

Chilcote wants to remind the community to volunteer and invest in the rich history that they’ve cultivated over the years. 

“We could use some more volunteers. We always need volunteers and St. Joseph people don’t want to volunteer, and I don’t know why, but that’s the way it goes,” he said. 

Chilcote said he planned to take the day off for his birthday and would spend it taking a nap.