Dwight was a gifted musician and composer and true gentleman. I've sung in choral groups that he conducted  and have admired performances of his wide-ranging pieces.  I also got the unique chance to collaborate with him as he wrote "Forever UT Martin," a song commissioned by his department for the campus Centennial celebration back in 2000.  After we got the joint assignment, Dwight suggested that maybe I could try to write verses that he'd set to music, rather than the other way around. While I envisioned the text that I came up with as having a three-stanza, hymn-like structure, repeating the same tune for each stanza, and followed each time by the same choric refrain, Dwight saw the possibility of a linear arrangement that started slowly and quietly and built inexorably toward the end. Using keyboard and horn accompaniment, his composition features two separate melodies for the first two stanzas--the two now heard daily on the UTM carillon--and then an overlaid, contrapuntal melody line for the third that incorporates the first two tunes. To fit this plan, he changed the closing words of the final chorus just a bit to achieve what he jokingly called his "Hollywood ending." Like his Alma Mater tune, done in collaboration with Dr. Kellie Jones, the Centennial piece never gets stale and has found a permanent niche at UT Martin as part of his rich legacy. Like many others, I value the chance to have been his friend and colleague. I've admired his grace during his long terminal ordeal and send my sincere condolences and gratitude to the family that has supported him so tirelessly.  

Dwight added so much to the Music programs everywhere he went. UT Martin gained so much during his time at the university. He was gifted and generous. 

I took a course in or about 1980 under Dr. Gatwood, which involved his Moog synthesizer studio in the fine arts building. We learned to set up the Moog with patch cables, and record to tape. Dwight's enthusiasm for music and recording was contagious. His dedication to faith and family made his time here all the more special.