Download This Version in Microsoft Word format
TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR EDWARD MATTHEW GIBSON, SR., FOR HIS OUTSTANDING SERVICE TO HIS NATION AND TO CONGRATULATE HIM FOR BEING HONORED FOR HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS A MEMBER OF THE FREE AND ACCEPTED MASONS.
Whereas, the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives are pleased to learn that Edward Matthew "Gibby" Gibson, Sr., will be honored for his many and significant contributions to the Free and Accepted Masons (F&AM) on June 10, 2012; and
Whereas, born in Charleston on July 26, 1922, the son of the late Jennie and Edward Green Gibson, he graduated from Burke High School and Avery Institute; and
Whereas, during World War II, Gibby Gibson enlisted in the United States Army Air Force as an aviation cadet and completed the training to become a Tuskegee Airman at airfields in several states, including the airfield in Walterboro; and
Whereas, although eligible for pilot training, he decided to serve as a bombardier/navigator, and he became friends with General Chappie James, who always selected Mr. Gibson's crew for his annual training missions; and
Whereas, a picture of him with the other members of the crew in front of their B-25 at Godman Field, Kentucky, is displayed in the Smithsonian, and he is listed in the rolls of the Tuskegee Airmen as a Documented Original Tuskegee Airman (DOTA); and
Whereas, in 2006, Mr. Gibson became a member of the Hiram E. Mann Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen, Incorporated, which meets on the site of the former Army Airfield in Walterboro; and
Whereas, he returned to the Charleston Naval Shipyard after the war to become a ship progressman, or shipwright, and later served there as the first full-time equal employment counselor, retiring with thirty-eight years of continuous employment in 1980; and
Whereas, he served his community on the board of directors and Supervisory Committee for Charleston Naval Shipyard Federal Credit Union, as secretary and chairman of the Credit Committee, and as director of the League of Credit Unions for South Carolina; and
Whereas, he is a member and past Master of Nehemiah Lodge #51, F&AM; a member of George Washington Carver Consistory #162; a thirty-third degree Mason and a Noble of the Mystic Shrine; and past Potentate, past Imperial Organizer, and honorary past Imperial Potentate of Arabian Temple #139; and
Whereas, a member of Poinsettia Chapter #129, Order of the Eastern Star, Right of Adoption, he is a past Grand Master for the F&AM for the State and Jurisdiction of South Carolina, and retired in December 2011 as the Right Worshipful Grand Secretary for the Prince Hall Grand Lodge for the State and Jurisdiction of South Carolina after thirty-nine years, now Right Worshipful Grand Secretary Emeritus; and
Whereas, together with his beloved wife, the late Margie W. Gibson, he reared four fine children, who blessed them with six loving grandchildren and five great-grandchildren; and
Whereas, he serves as the president of the Unity and Friendship Society, which has owned and operated its own cemetery since its formation by free Blacks in 1843, and he is a member of Calvary Episcopal Church where he served in numerous offices and is an associate member of Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church where he sang for years in several choirs; and
Whereas, the members of the House of Representatives are grateful for the significant service that Gibby Gibson provided his nation during World War II as a member of the famous Tuskegee Airmen and for his many contributions to the Free and Accepted Masons. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:
That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, recognize and honor Edward Matthew "Gibby" Gibson, Sr., for his outstanding service to his nation and congratulate him for being honored for his accomplishments as a member of the Free and Accepted Masons.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Edward Matthew Gibson, Sr.
This web page was last updated on May 30, 2012 at 11:36 AM