MySQL Server :: My C Code can remotely create a database, but not "INSERT INTO" it
User error, my apologies.  I had put a "close_connection()" line in my code for troubleshooting purposes, then forgot about it.  This wasn't a problem until I added an "INSERT INTO" command after the "close_connection()".  So of course the connection was closed when my code tried to INSERT.

The online documentation for the "**** MySQL server has gone away ****" error assumes that the sending code wasn't closed the connection, which is what confused me.  Now I know...