Judy Gates sat at her kitchen table in her historic Marblehead home, surrounded by photographs and wooden carvings of horses, camels and goats from across the world – trinkets from her crusade to make the world a better place. Gates, 82, is a Marbleheader known by many for her advocacy, adventures and dedication to improving the lives of others. She spoke to the Current about her memories of raising a family in Marblehead. She recalled her many attempts to lift up her fellow Marbleheaders throughout her long years of advocacy. And her eyes lit up with the passion of an adventurer when she spoke about taking her efforts across the globe in her journeys to Mongolia with the Peace Corp, and all the fascinating people that she met there.
Gates grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, and moved to Marblehead with her husband in 1966. She still lives in the historic home in Old Town — with a magnificent Marblehead Harbor view — where Gates and her husband lived and raised two children. Throughout her career, Gates worked in advertising and marketing. She also developed skills in computer and electronics, which served her well in her future endeavors.
Gates has always taken an active role in the improvement of the Marblehead community. She describes herself as a “book person,” and served on the Abbot Public Library Board of Trustees. Gates has also been one of the earliest and strongest voices for diversity, equity and inclusion around Marblehead. She has been involved with the Marblehead Racial Justice Team.
“Marblehead should strive to be more diverse, that’s part of what we’ve been doing with the Racial Justice Team,” Gates said. “I’ve been an active part of it for a long time, and we’ve been trying to encourage more diversity here in this community.”
Gates has also advocated for Marblehead’s elderly. She helped found the Sea Glass Village organization in 2021, which aims to help senior citizens in Marblehead, Nahant and Swampscott maintain their independence by offering them rides, care and community.
“I was very involved in the founding of Sea Glass Village,” Gates said. “It was established to help people get the help they need and continue to live in their own communities.”
After retiring, Gates realized she was not done yet. Her compassion extended far beyond Marblehead borders. Although she had never had the time to give it a try, Gates had always been fascinated with the idea of joining the Peace Corps and improving people’s lives across the globe.
“Our president said ‘Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.’ And when I heard about that, I thought that I’d love to do that,” Gates said. “But I was in college at the time, I graduated in 1964 and I still owed some money, and I got married and had a family soon after, so I wasn’t in a position to apply.”
After the loss of her husband, Gates decided to finally join the Corps in 2008. The application process was rigorous, and Gates went through countless applications and interviews before being selected. After being accepted to the program at 65 years old, she was notified that she would be sent to Mongolia.
“I was on the phone with the kids, and I can remember both of them at the same time saying ‘Wait a minute Mom,’ because they had no idea where Mongolia was,” Gates remembered. “It was pretty much on the opposite side of the world. Noontime here is midnight there, and it was a two-year commitment.”
Traveling to the other side of the world was a daunting task, but Gates was up to the challenge. In 2008, she boarded a plane bound for Mongolia, determined to make a difference.
After arriving in northern Mongolia, the culture shock was intense. Many Mongolians work as herders on the grassy steppes, living in temporary shelters and relying on diets of meat and dairy. Gates felt as if she was in an entirely new world.
“They lived in gers,” Gates said, holding up a small model of a traditional Mongolian temporary hut that she had brought home with her. “They raised the five snouts: sheep, goats, horses, cattle and camels. And that’s what we ate.”
She lived and worked in Mongolia for two years from 2008 to 2010, and again in 2011 and 2012. As a volunteer, Gates taught English to the locals, and worked as a business volunteer with their local chamber of commerce. She would also help the locals with their electronics, setting up their emails and teaching them the basics so they could be successful in the 21st century.
In 2012, Gates returned home, arms filled with wood carvings of Mongolian herd animals, a cornerstone of Mongolian culture, given to her as a thank you for her years of service.
As she spoke, she picked up a large carving of a boy and a girl sitting on a horse. It was a three-dimensional adaptation of a photograph of Gates and her brother during their childhood in Ohio, and was carved as a surprise by one of the many kind and fascinating people she found on her journey. Sitting among them 13 years later, she reflected on how that experience impacted her.
“I learned so much. It was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life,” Gates said.
