Third-generation Springtown resident Mike Gilley grew up on his family’s farm in the community. Born in 1949, he graduated from Springtown High School in 1967. There, he played basketball and football, participated in FFA and served on the student council as well as the staff of the school’s yearbook, “Quill.”
Following high school, he enrolled in Weatherford College in 1967, where he met his wife, Linda. The couple married in June 1970. He earned an Associate of Arts degree and transferred to the University of Texas at Arlington, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in biology in 1971.
Shortly after graduating, Gilley returned to Springtown after living in Arlington during his senior year of college. Maurice English, then Springtown ISD superintendent, hired Gilley to teach biology, physical science and math at Springtown High School. In addition to his teaching duties, he drove a school bus in the mornings and afternoons. He was also instrumental in bringing back the high school’s student council.
