In Remembrance: Guy Gosselin
By Rob Kirsch | July 20, 2024
Quodumque Est Durus, Nobis Maxime Placet
Life Trustee and Former Executive Director Guy Gosselin died during the early morning on March 7, 2024. He was a lifelong resident of Gorham, NH, a consistent contributor to his community and state, a father of three, a grandfather and great grandfather to more, an intellect in the spirit of the renaissance and a friend and mentor to hundreds who had the privilege to cross paths with him. Guy was influential in more ways than this brief remembrance can describe, and he was a consistent and critical force in the transformation of Mount Washington Observatory into the institution we know today.

Guy Gosselin is shown in an earlier photo during one of his many trips to the summit weather station.
Guy was born on May 18, 1933 at the home he would share with his parents and grandparents in Gorham, New Hampshire. He lived there until 2021, raising Debbie, Eustis and Emil with Betty, and, for decades, running the Observatory from his upstairs office. During his youth, Guy attended the University of New Hampshire, served in the U.S. Army, in Germany, and worked in the paper industry and as a fire watcher.
Perhaps pre-ordained by that lifetime home address, 1 Washington Street, Mount Washington and the Observatory formally came into Guy’s life in early 1961, when he accepted a “temporary” position at the Observatory. What was to be three months of fill-in work on the summit, however, became a 36-plus-year career and a lifetime involvement.
The Observatory Guy joined had a tenuous existence. There were fewer than 1,000 members, the staff was thin, and the organization’s finances were even thinner. For a time, conditions were so dire that Guy and Betty shared a meager weather observer’s salary with the family of fellow observer Casey Hodgdon and his wife Julie. Once referring to the 1960s as the Observatory’s “dark ages,” Guy applied his vision and good-natured discipline to the survival and growth of the institution.
Guy’s drive and ability were apparent, and soon he was Chief Observer (1963), Observatory Director (1971), Trustee (1978) and ultimately Executive Director, the position he held throughout his career. The Observatory and the summit quickly began to benefit from his dedication and insight.
Guy fit in quickly, forming close ties with the staff and a warm friendship with WMTW engineer and Mount Washington author Lee Vincent. Under Guy, the modest “goofer room,” where visitors could learn about the summit and the Observatory, grew into the Summit Museum, visited by tens of thousands of visitors annually beginning in the 1970s.
The quiescent research work on the summit was revitalized including with projects relating to atmospheric sciences as well as both wind and solar energy. In 1979, Guy added Ken Rancourt to the staff, simultaneously increasing the breadth and depth of what the Observatory could offer, and the investment paid dividends. Throughout all of this period, Guy mentored and led the growing staff with his personal example of integrity, humility and vision.
Guy was committed to taking the steps that would allow the Observatory to thrive. He supported the transformation of the summit observatory from a male-dominated bastion into a more diverse, welcoming place.
Always possessing a sense of history, Guy spearheaded both the move of the Observatory into its current facility and simultaneously led the unsuccessful effort to disassemble and preserve the 1937-1980 Observatory structure.
When it was clear that summit-based revenues alone would not be sufficient to sustain the Observatory, he established an off-mountain office and oversaw the creation of positions and programs that generated income for the summit facility and laid the foundation for the Observatory to play a growing role educating students about weather, atmospheric sciences, and the summit environment.
Guy’s efforts on the Observatory’s behalf extended far beyond the mountain itself. By the 1970s, 1 Washington Street had become the organization’s hub. Guy and Betty converted their second-floor study into the Observatory’s de-facto headquarters. Betty organized and professionalized our membership function, strengthening connections and fostering the expansion of membership that supports us today. Guy hosted meetings, retrieved and delivered equipment and supplies, saw to the care and feeding of staff and Trustees, and through his incredible ability and force of will, helped make the Obs the institution we know today.
Whether through a more professional staff, strengthened relationships with summit partner organizations, expanded research relationships, the fundraising and logistics supporting the Observatory’s move from its long-term home into the (then) new Sherman Adams building, or the birth and growth of the Observatory’s “valley” presence in support of the summit operation, Guy’s support and vision were instrumental and constant.
Throughout his life, Guy maintained a tireless intellectual curiosity and personal humility. That also benefited the Observatory extensively. Influenced by local legends including Doug Philbrook of the Mt. Washington Auto Road, Guy became an authority on Mount Washington and White Mountain history. With Susan Hawkins, he published a book about famed local photographer Guy Shorey.
Guy’s reputation led numerous donors to spontaneously send materials and information to the Observatory, leading to the creation of the Gladys Brooks Memorial Library that continues to make materials available to researchers and visitors today. Through his interest and reputation, Guy was a founder of the Gorham Historical Society. Even when innovation was challenged by tight budgets, he supported and nurtured Observatory entrepreneurs, leading to the launch of the cutting-edge Weather Notebook program on National Public Radio. And it was never about him.
His kind, thoughtful demeanor allowed Guy to serve, seemingly without effort, as a leader, mentor, and friend to scores of Observatory crew members as well as the staffs and leadership of organizations including the Mount Washington State Park, Appalachian Mountain Club, WMTW tv, the Mount Washington Cog Railway, the U.S. Forest Service and others.
The innumerable relationships Guy formed benefitted the Observatory, establishing connections with individuals and strengthening ties with organizations. Guy’s influence still resonates today in the ranks of Observatory members, Trustees, and Life Trustees.
In 1997, Guy retired as Executive Director and continued to support the Observatory through new roles that he maintained through the remaining decades of his life. He served as editor of our Windswept publication, was elected a Life Trustee, regularly attended Observatory meetings and events, supported his beloved summit staff through weekly grocery pickups that he personally delivered to the shift-change crew on Wednesdays, and never failed to make himself available when asked by a staff member, Trustee, or other volunteer.
Nor did Guy go quietly into “retirement.” He propelled himself into new, significant directions which more than filled his time. He earned a degree in counselling and for years served the North Country as a substance abuse counselor as the Clinical Director of Friendship House in Bethlehem, NH.
Guy was fascinated with the ability and function of the human brain and the concept of consciousness. He pursued Buddhist teaching, became a practitioner of meditation, and through perseverance and force of will, convinced the state Corrections Department to let him establish and conduct a meditation program within the State Prison to reduce recidivism among the inmate population.
Writing also remained a passion throughout Guy’s life. He consistently maintained multiple streams of correspondence on topics ranging from classical philosophy, theories of human consciousness, and debates about unidentified aerial phenomena, to issues of current politics and world affairs. During his “retirement,” Guy self-published four novels, exploring and building on the relationships and history of his community. And through it all he stayed current on politics at all levels, contributing poignant editorials that inspired his community to pause and reflect.
Following Betty’s passing in 2019, Guy sold his life-long home, ultimately settling into a cozy apartment just a stone’s throw away where he had the daily support of his niece Tracey Drouin. The celebration of his 90th birthday in 2023 brought together friends and family from across the country and weather observers spanning eight decades!
Into the final weeks of his life, Guy hosted a regular stream of well-wishing visitors. He passed away in Jefferson, NH, with a view of the mountains he loved.
We miss him.

Life Trustee Jack Middleton, left, pictured with Guy Gosselin.
Guy Gosselin’s Obituary can be viewed here.
Rob Kirsch is the Immediate Past Chair of the Mount Washington Observatory Board of Trustees.
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