March 6, 2024 / SonLight Power SpotLight on Gary Booth
Above: Jane and Gary Booth
“I consider it a real honor and privilege to have supported SonLight Power for 20 years.”
– Gary Booth
Faithful donors like you fuel SonLight Power’s lasting impact. Long-time friend, ambassador, and philanthropist Gary Booth is definitely no exception.
At 83, retirement is just the latest chapter in Gary’s extensive history of scientific research, support for fellow scientists, and love for God’s creation. Throughout this phase of his life, Gary is combining his interest in solar power with his can-do spirit.
He recently added Hall of Famer to his list of titles, having been named to the Ohio Senior Citizens Hall of Fame for his significant accomplishments and community service.
Gary’s life story epitomizes the SonLight Power biblical mantra to let your light shine in the spirit of Matthew 5:16.
Before describing Gary’s latest venture – opening doors to a new, unique SonLight Power project at a Cincinnati-based retirement village – and his recognized career in research and development, let’s reflect on his inspirational journey.
From Appalachia to P&G Executive
Gary was born and raised in Wolfe County in the Appalachian hills of eastern Kentucky, on the edge of coal country. He called Campton his hometown, where he attended Campton Baptist Church – a church founded by another Booth generations earlier.
Growing up in Appalachia wasn’t easy. Wolfe County is the poorest county in the U.S. when measured by median household income. Facing his own version of Hillbilly Elegy, Gary overcame the odds of his surroundings through curiosity and work ethic.
When he set off to Eastern Kentucky University, Gary chose to major in chemistry and math. From there, his curiosity further led to a doctorate degree in organic chemistry from The Ohio State University in 1965.
For 31 years, Gary put his knowledge to work for Procter & Gamble, where he researched and developed a range of new consumer brands that are now considered household names.
“I was part of the team that rolled out Bounty paper towels and Charmin toilet paper,” he recalls. The job took Gary and his wife, Jane, overseas to live for 10 years.
“When I retired, I was the vice president for personal care products research for Europe, Asia, and the Middle East,” Gary says. “The laboratory I was running there developed products like Pantene shampoo and all of the Oil of Olay products.”
Relentlessly Letting His Light Shine
While some people take a well-earned break in retirement, Gary jumped into new ventures, including working with universities to mentor professors on how to commercialize products.
“Jane and I provide scholarships at Ohio State and Eastern Kentucky University,” he says. “With our scholarships, we get to mentor the students as well. So we meet and have dinner and talk about their careers. That's just a lot of fun.”
So where did SonLight Power and Gary first connect?
Our paths intersected in Cincinnati (where P&G’s world headquarters are located) at College Hill Presbyterian Church. Gary and his family attended CHPC for years. So did another familiar face – SonLight Power founder Allen Rainey.
After Allen’s first trip in 2000 to equip an off-grid medical clinic in Honduras with solar power, CHPC sponsored Allen’s new mission to put solar panels in underserved locations in Central America. Gary served on the SonLight Power board in its early years and supported the mission philanthropically.
After more than a decade of equipping communities overseas with love and solar power, SonLight Power turned to Gary for help developing a mission field closer to home.
“Some years later, I proposed that SonLight do a project in the United States,” he says, “back in my hometown of Campton, Kentucky. The church I grew up in was a Baptist church, Campton Baptist, and they were having trouble financially.”
While Campton Baptist Church had a solid building and a vital congregation, they were operating on three obsolete heat pumps for heating and cooling.
The systems were so expensive, Gary says, the church could only afford to be open for limited hours each week in the winter and summer. Gary helped the church find funding for a geothermal system.
“And then I approached SonLight Power with the proposition: Would the mission be willing to help put solar on the roof so that you could get the utility expense down to zero?”
With the church located in one of the most vulnerable regions of the country, the concept held true to SonLight Power’s mission. Moving forward on the project was an easy decision.
The church’s rooftop solar system installed by SonLight Power yielded great results. Gary proudly states the utility costs dipped down to zero, resulting in carbon neutrality.
“And in fact,” Gary says, “most of the year, they pump electricity back into the community. We overdid the solar a little bit.”
Above: Solar energy output readings from Campton Baptist Church forecast excess production
Excess power goes back into the local energy co-op, which is owned by the area’s residents. That means the project not only benefits the church, but the entirety of Campton as well.
Gary Booth: Solar Evangelist
The Campton Baptist Church project sparked Gary’s interest in solar. He began thinking of himself as an evangelist for alternative energy. He helped develop other solar farms, including a large system on the campus of Eastern Kentucky University.
“The purpose was to educate the students on alternative energy,” he explains. “These solar farms are highly instrumented, so students can go online and study what electricity production is in the morning versus afternoon...June versus January. They can write papers until the cows come home!”
Speaking of cows, at Morehead State University in Morehead, Kentucky, Gary invested in an off-grid solar farm that mimics how a farmer might equip a barn that's a long way from any electric line.
Outfitted with solar panels and batteries, the farm has become a research facility. There is a backup generator, Gary says, but it hasn’t been needed for two years, “so we have achieved a true off-grid status.”
Meanwhile, the ripple effect of solar power kept fanning out across Campton. Solar panels installed at Campton Elementary School helped reduce their electric bill.
Sparked by Gary’s encouragement, SonLight Power then returned to Campton to bring solar to the roof of the local Catholic mission, which was running a food bank and needed more electricity to power large refrigerators. This project spread goodwill in addition to reducing energy costs.
“In eastern Kentucky, there's great tension between the Catholic church and the Protestant churches,” Gary says. To have a Baptist church and a Catholic mission both equipped with solar made a strong, ecumenical statement.
Never Too Old to Make a Difference
“Somewhere in there, I got old,” Gary jokes. “Jane and I moved to Maple Knoll Village, a retirement community. We didn't really have to move because of disability, but we long ago decided that when one of us got to be 80, we would move to a retirement village just because that was a prudent thing to do.”
Gary brought his solar evangelism along with him to Maple Knoll, which is located north of the Cincinnati central business district.
“I noticed when I got there that there's a lot of talent around there – retired engineers, retired scientists and so forth – that wasn't being utilized.”
He also noticed that Maple Knoll was planning to build a 5,500-square-foot multipurpose building that will have space for activities and pickleball courts. Gathering fellow engineers and scientists, Gary approached the community’s leadership and suggested that, with geothermal heating and solar energy, the new building could become carbon neutral.
The idea was novel for a retirement community, but the management agreed it would make Maple Knoll, a nonprofit itself, stand out as a responsible organization and attract residents. Gary’s cohort of retirees offered their expertise to steer the project.
“We had four of us who had a combined total of something like 140 years running complex technical projects,” he says.
When it’s complete, Gary says the carbon-neutral building will be one of very few in Cincinnati.
“A retirement village leading the pack: Yes, we're not dead yet!” jokes Gary.
Once again, Gary will work with SonLight Power to equip a nonprofit facility.
“It'll be a good opportunity to not only share the SonLight Power story once again with people in Cincinnati, but also with the people of Maple Knoll Village,” he explains. “I consider it a real honor and privilege to have supported SonLight Power for 20 years.”
As construction on the Maple Knoll building progresses, Gary stays young by walking and taking Pilates classes with Jane. He’s also involved with several startups that are researching therapeutic uses for genetic material.
Clearly, Gary’s ageless curiosity and desire to make a difference are not slowing down. Look for him to be on hand this summer when solar power turns new lights on right in his community.
Inspired by Gary’s story? Want to leave a legacy of lasting impact? Visit the Invest in Impact page on the SonLight Power website and connect with executive director, Kevin Sasson at [email protected] to learn more.
For more information: Gary Booth inducted into the Ohio Senior Citizens Hall of Fame
