Gerald González, who died Tuesday from pancreatic cancer at age 68, grew up in Santa Rosa, graduated from college at age 19, flew fighter jets in Vietnam, graduated from Harvard Law School and then moved to Santa Fe to work at a series of top government jobs.

"He was not only a good and decent human being, but he was brilliant and he was eclectic," said Daniel Lopez, who grew up with González and is now president of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in Socorro. "He had a breadth of knowledge which is beyond what you normally expect from educated people. ...

"On top of that, as a human being, he was very gentle. He was certainly modest. He had a deep feeling for the underdog, and he was always willing to take up the gauntlet and fight for the underdog."

Born Aug. 5, 1943, in Las Vegas, N.M., González grew up in Santa Rosa where his father, the late Joe T. González, was a Spanish teacher and later superintendent of the public schools. His mother, the late Sabinita Martinez González was also a teacher.

Gerald González graduated early from high school, then enrolled in New Mexico Highlands University, where he majored in mathematics. He then joined the U.S. Air Force, graduated from officer training school at Williams Air Force Base in Arizona and became a pilot of F-4 Phantom II jets.

González flew 100 combat missions over North Vietnam and 36 more over South Vietnam, then became a flight instructor at Reese Air Force Base in Texas.

In 1973, he enrolled at Harvard Law School, where for the first time he found himself among other high achievers.

"Before Harvard, everywhere I had been, I tended to excel," he had said in an interview with The New Mexican. "So it was the first time I had been thrown in with 500 or so other students who had that same experience."

But González stood out at Harvard because at 30, he was older than most of his classmates and one of the few Hispanics and Vietnam veterans.

"There were a lot of questions," he recalled. "People were intrigued about what it was like to have been in Vietnam."

After law school, González returned to New Mexico and took a job with the Santa Fe office of Sutin, Thayer & Browne before joining the New Mexico Attorney General's Office, where he became director of the civil division.

In 1981, he became chief attorney and hearing officer for the Public Service Commission, a predecessor of today's Public Regulation Commission.

During the administration of Gov. Toney Anaya, González became general counsel for the state Department of Finance and Administration where Lopez, who was Cabinet secretary of the department, said he "always provided me with the best and most precise legal opinions of matters that were highly complex — bonding issues and disaster resolutions."

Lopez recalled that once when González made a mistake on a legal matter, he immediately took responsibility and presented a letter of resignation.

"I did not accept it because there was nothing derelict or intentional," he said. "I thought what he had to offer was a hell of a lot more important than one small mistake."

González went on to work as chief counsel for the Public Employees Retirement Fund, as Taos town attorney and as Santa Fe city attorney before leaving in 1994 to become chief of staff for then-U.S. Rep. Tom Udall, D-N.M.

"Gerald González was thoughtful, intelligent and loved New Mexico, its people and our history," Udall, now a U.S. senator, said Tuesday in a written statement. "That is why I hired him as my first chief of staff in the House of Representatives. He had a long career in New Mexico government and Jill and I are saddened to hear of his passing."

In 2002, González joined Santa Fe County, first as an acting county attorney, then as county manager, where he stayed until 2006.

After that, he worked in various capacities with the majority leadership of the state Senate and briefly as director of the state Bureau of Elections. He was working at the Legislature when he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last March.

County Attorney Stephen Ross said González, even while ill, continued to explore his passion for New Mexico history at El Rancho de las Golondrinas.

"As you can tell from his background, he was extremely bright, extremely knowledgeable," Ross said. "But if all you knew about the guy was that he was a fighter pilot and a Harvard graduate, including an attorney, you wouldn't know anything about him at all. He was incredibly warm, diverse — an intelligent, fun person. He was a good friend to myself and a lot of other people in town. He was a unique product of New Mexico."

González's survivors include his wife, Carey González, whom he married in 2003, his son Christopher Earnest González of Dallas, his daughter Amber Darling and granddaughter Timber Darling, stepmother Bibiana González of Santa Fe; three stepsons, Robert Deacon of Washington state and James Baker and John Baker of Texas; sister Joyce Martinez of Taos; two uncles, Joe Martinez of Santa Rosa and Rudy Martinez of Albuquerque, and two aunts, Delia Sanchez and Amelia Wallace, both of Albuquerque.

Funeral services are pending.

Contact Tom Sharpe at 986-3080 or tsharpe@sfnewmexican.com.