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Born in McKenzie, Tennessee, Gary spent his earliest years growing up in Gleason, Tennessee. Having moved from Gleason to Michigan at age 8, Gary graduated from Niles, High School and chose Northern Michigan University for his undergraduate college education, where he obtained a Bachelor's of Science degree in Political Science. From there, it was to Wayne State University, where he received a Master's degree in Urban Planning. Continuing with his education, Gary went on to earn a doctorate in Urban and Regional Science from Texas A&M University.

Gary is currently an emeritus faculty member of the Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. Prior to being named Professor Emeritus, he served as Chair of the  Department of Urban Studies and Planning at Virginia Commonwealth for a number of years.

Gary has been on the Department’s faculty since 1985. Prior to joining the Department on a full-time basis, he served as Assistant Dean of the former School of Community and Public Affairs and as Director that entity’s Center for Public Affairs (6 years). Before that, he served on the faculties of the University of Virginia (5 years) and Indiana University (South Bend Campus – 2 years), and as the Regional Comprehensive Planner of a large metropolitan council of governments (2 years).

Gary's teaching, research, and scholarly focus has been in the fields of transportation and housing. Publications by him include research reports, planning documents, a CPL Bibliography, as well as articles in such outlets as: Society, the Journal of Urban Affairs, Urban Law and Policy, Urban Resources, the Journal of the American Planning Association, the American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Transportation Research, the Journal of Transportation Engineering, Transportation Research Record, AASHTO Quarterly, Municipal Management, The South Carolina Policy Forum, Virginia Town and City, Planning in Virginia, Virginia Review and others.

Gary has conducted research for, and/or provided technical assistance to, a variety of organizations over the years. Clients have included: the Ethyl Corporation; the City of Richmond; the South Bend Urban Observatory; the U.S. Department of Transportation; the U.S. Naval Aviation Executive Institute; the Office of the Virginia Secretary of Transportation; the Office of the Virginia Secretary of the Commonwealth; the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy; the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development; and the Virginia Department of Legislative Services. From 1986-1988, he served as Director of the Governor’s Commission on Transportation in the 21^st Century

Finally, Gary has also been actively involved in public, professional, and university service. He serves as a member of the Board of Directors and on the Executive Committee of the Richmond Better Housing Coalition. He is a former member of the national Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the American Planning Association and the former editor of the Association’s highly distinguished Journal of the American Planning Association. He is a former member of the Board and past President of the Virginia Alliance for the Public Service. He has served on VCU’s: Faculty Senate, Graduate School – Committee on Ethics in Research, Social Science Task Force, Ph.D. in Public Policy Committee, Virginia Center on Aging Advisory Committee, Survey Research Lab Advisory Committee, and Advisory Committee of the Governor Institute at VCU on Alcohol and Drug Abuse. From 1989-1991 he served the VCU School of Community and Public Affairs as President of the Faculty.

While presently calling Richmond, Virginia home, since assuming his Emeritus role, Gary and his wife Jan have had more time to spend at their recently completed summer home in Maine.