A native Oregonian, he served during World War II in Europe collecting art stolen by the Nazis for which he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal and other accolades.
[1] From 1937–1939, he produced the architectural etchings for the 1939 New York World's Fair and wrote the official book for that event, published by Charles Scribner's Sons.
While serving in World War II, Gilkey wrote President Franklin D. Roosevelt, requesting a unit be established to review military tactics to help minimize damage to art and architecture in Europe.
Following World War II, Gilkey became chairman of the art department at Oregon State University and held that position for fifteen years.
He staffed his department with many prominent artists of the Northwest School, including Nelson Sandgren, Demetrios Jameson, Paul Gunn, and Robert Huck.
During active duty periods in the mid 1960s, he developed special projects for then-U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara and for the U.S. National War College.
Retiring from OSU in 1977, Gilkey served as curator of prints and drawings at the Portland Art Museum for the balance of his life.