‘Wussy’ Gilmore | GI Bill helped him open a gas station

A fixture in Culpeper for more than 80 years, Robert “Wussy” Gilmore says nicknames were also a fixture in his younger years. After serving in the army, Gilmore attended school on the GI Bill, returned to Culpeper and decided to open a new business — a gas station. So along with a partner, Ernest Hudson, Gilmore opened an Esso service station. Gilmore bought the Exxon station at 1025 S. Main St. from the company in 1985. Although the business no longer sells fuel, it continues today as an automotive service center. One of Gilmore’s three sons, Chuck, runs the business. Another one of Gilmore’s former locations, near where McDonald’s stands today, is now a car dealership.