Born in Madison, South Dakota, on July 11, 1935, the eldest son of Milton and Virginia Ayers. On March 1, 1942, Gaylord suffered a gunshot wound while playing with a neighbor. This brush with death left him physically handicapped. He took advantage of a love of reading to while away the long hours of the Dakota winters, gaining a large vocabulary and widespread general knowledge. After completing high school, he attended the University of South Dakota at Vermillion majoring in Speech with an emphasis on radio and television earning a Masters Degree as the result of his efforts. His career began at KROC-TV in Rochester, MN, then continued at KAYS-TV in Hays, KS. Next he aided in signing on KORN-TV in Mitchell, SD. Tiring of commercial television, he returned to the university to work with KUSD-TV, the campus station. His final move was to WDCN-TV, the non-commercial station in Nashville, TN where he served as Program Manager through 1998. He is now retired in Ashland City, TN.