Gary West is a 5th generation West family member and the great-great-grandson of James and Lucinda West of Culpeper, Virginia. He is the son of Joseph P. West, Sr., and Anne E. (Brock) West. Gary was born on January 3, 1951. He was born 131 years after the first known West family member, James West whose birth date is listed as 1820 in documents discovered from Orange County, Virginia.