Gilmore, who lives in Huntsville and is retiring this summer as vice president for academic affairs at Sam Houston State , also earned a doctorate in 1968 from the University of Houston .

His SHSU affiliation has included 41 years as a faculty member and dean in the College of Business Administration , prior to being named to his present position. Gilmore's other service interests have included the Texas Business Educator Association and the Huntsville Rotary Club, both of which he has served as president, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, which he has served as a member of accrediting teams, and many others. An example of the esteem in which Gilmore is held by colleagues and former students is the endowment established in his honor by the College of Business Administration .

The Board of Regents of the Texas State University System passed a resolution honoring Gilmore, and faculty and students in the College of Business Administration named its new honor society the Dr. James Gilmore Beta Gamma Sigma Chapter. Gilmore is also credited with providing the leadership which led to COBA's recent accreditation by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business. He has chaired several university-wide committees, including a presidential search committee in 1988, the inauguration committee for President Martin Anisman, and the President's Committee for Bicentennial Programs for the 1992 observance of General Sam Houston's 200th birthday.

Gilmore and his wife, Dorothy Jo, have two children and two grandchildren. She is also an SHSU graduate, earning degrees in 1952 and 1958.