Gay Vallorie Selby

Dr. Gay Vallorie Selby Obituary

December 19, 1941 – July 7, 2025

Gay Selby was born in Missoula, Montana in 1941 to Vivienne Russell Selby and Larry Manley Selby. The family pioneered in the Gallatin Valley, the approximate location of the Big Sky Resort. They moved to Whitehall next to her grandparents, where she and her younger brother Garry were raised. The family heavily supported sports, and her parents led the band and cheer squad. After graduation from Whitehall High School (1960), Gay attended one year at University of Arizona and returned to her beloved Montana to finished both a bachelor’s degree (1964) and a master’s degree (1969) at Montana State University Bozeman as a Bobcat.

Gay accepted her first teaching job sight unseen and moved to Kennewick, Washington to teach English/Social Studies at Highland’s Junior High. As a leader in the education association and committed levy fund raiser, Gay then helped open the brand new Kamiakin High school as the first female assistant principal/athletic director in the Big Eight League. During those years, she commuted to Pullman to work on her doctorate degree with superintendent credentials at Washington State University. Then she took the position as the first woman principal at Pullman high school and while working there completed her doctorate (1980)as a Coug. She was one of only two female high school principals in the state of Washington. Dr. Selby then accepted a position as assistant superintendent in the Spokane School District in charge of the instructional programs and the re-modeling of many schools.

In 1980 she became assistant superintendent and then superintendent in the Kelso Public Schools and a Highlander. She was recognized as the first woman school superintendent of a larger (1st class) school district in the state. In 1992 she received the Washington Award for Excellence in Education (Superintendent of the Year) from Governor Gardner. As superintendent in Kelso, Gay served on numerous state education committees and the Superintendent’s Advisor Committee. She was recognized as Kelso Citizen of the Year and Cowlitz County Citizen of the Year, served ten years on the St. John’s Peace Health Hospital board, and the United Way board. After serving three terms as president of the Kelso Chamber of Commerce, she was made a lifetime member.

In 1994 Dr. Selby joined the WSU Vancouver College of Education faculty coordinating and teaching courses and mentoring interns for principal and administrative certification. Gay also taught for two decades in the state-wide WSU superintendent certification program. She was proud of the over 300 WSU alumni who stayed in touch with her for many years. From 1991-2004, Gay also conducted over 200 superintendent searches with the Washington State School Directors’ Association for a variety of school districts. She continued to mentor educators and conduct school investigations until her last few days.

At the state level, Gay served twelve years on the Higher Education Coordinating Board (appointed by three governors) and served as vice chair. She served on many committees for the Association of Washington School Principals over her career and was a founding member. She also received the service award from the Washington Association of School Administrators and served on numerous committees. She was honored as a founding member of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association.

Dr. Selby had her heart in Washington State University having served on the WSUV first chancellor’s advisory committee, on the site selection committee for that campus, chaired the search committee for the Vancouver second chancellor, and again on the search for the Pullman dean of the college of education. Awards from WSU include: Outstanding Service Award, Provost’s Award for Outstanding Teaching, Chancellor’s Service Award, the Cougar Leadership Award, the H.E.R.O.E.S Award (Heart, Excellence, Resiliency, Optimism, Enthusiasm, and Soul), Alumni Achievement Award, and had the WSU Vancouver Dengernik Administration building tower named the Selby Tower. Gay was a platinum Lifetime Member of the Athletic Association and commuted to Pullman for over forty years with season football tickets to cheer on the Cougs.

Gay was proceeded in death by her father and mother, Larry and Vivienne Selby. She leaves behind her dear friend, Barbara Clausen; her brother Garry Selby (Pam) and the four children: Emily (Richard), Nathan (Michelle), Monica (Matt), and Ty (Whitney) with their twelve children, including cherished Portland boy’s Dylan, Noah, Eli, and Aidan Cindrich.

A memorial service will be held at Washington State University Vancouver in the Administration Building (auditorium below the Selby Tower) on Saturday, July 19th at 11:00a.m. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Selby Scholarship Fund at Washington State University Vancouver, the George Brain/Gay Selby Leadership Wall at Washington State University Pullman, the Kelso Public Schools Foundation, or Bethany Lutheran Church.