Mike Gilligan

The Life & Times of Michael Louis Gilligan

A brief autobiography

I was born in Great Falls on December 1, 1944 and, within a year, the family moved to Havre for about 10 years. I attended St. Jude’s School and, word has it, I was an exemplary altar boy. We moved back to Great Falls in 1955 and I started 5^th grade at St. Gerard’s and on to Great Falls Central.

After graduation in 1963, I attended Carroll College in Helena and graduated in 1967 with a degree in Accounting and a new draft classification of 1-A. For whatever reason, the IRS from San Francisco was recruiting at Carroll for tax auditors and, while that was not an exempt position, I was allowed to go to San Francisco for their 3-month training school. With the draft looming, I had a great time in S.F. but the learning curve probably suffered. Sure enough, I got the call from The Board to report to Butte for the final physical and, after some travel around the country, I reported as ordered, only to fail the physical.

Back in San Francisco, I worked as a senior tax auditor for 2 years and, considering the adversarial position I was always bound to take, I started to look for something on the side of the “good guys”. I was auditing the corporate client of an Oakland C.P.A. firm and, when the audit was concluded, the managing partner offered me a job and I readily accepted. I soon passed the C.P.A. exam and concluded the experience requirement to become a California C.P.A. Soon thereafter, after several years of “after-hours” schooling, I received an M.B.A. in Taxation from Golden Gate University in San Francisco. In 1982, I was admitted to a partnership in the firm.

While my professional life was starting up, I met Bettina (Tina) Lyon on a blind date in San Francisco. Tina was from New Jersey and had decided to stay put in California after hop-scotching the country in a VW camper. We were married in 1974 in S.F. and, while we loved living in the City, moved to the more family-oriented town of Alameda in the East Bay. We had three lovely girls who are now three lovely young women. Sara is 37 and an organic farmer and landscaper, Kate is 34 and is a marine biologist and Lauren is 29 and also a marine biologist. After scattering far & wide, they are all now back in California within several hours drive.

In November of 1989, after one last earthquake in the Bay Area (the big one), I got an opportunity to take over the Sacramento office of our firm, which had now grown to five offices, including Oakland & San Francisco. We decided to take the plunge and move from a 75 degree climate to one of 95 but, like Montana, devoid of high humidity. My career had concentrated on state & Federal taxation, estate & business planning and related areas and this was a new market. We got used to the heat, the girls flourished and Tina found a new profession (faux painting & decorating).

After 43 years with the same firm, I retired on December 31, 2012 to take on more leisurely undertakings. I have been involved with Rotary International for years and am currently club treasurer for the Rotary Club of Sacramento, one of the largest in the world. My other charitable endeavor is The First Tee of Greater Sacramento, a youth development organization which teaches kids life skills & core values using the game of golf.

With retirement, I am able to pursue my passion for fly fishing, which I learned from my Grandpa, starting at age 10 when we moved back to Great Falls. I have been to great trout streams all over the West but, of course, the best is still in Montana. My wife and I also play golf often and hike, kayak, cycle and travel, having been to many great spots in the U.S., Caribbean and Europe. Looking forward to seeing everyone at the Class of ‘63’s 50^th.