William Gibson Obituary

William Hunter Gibson, age 92, Colorado Springs Brighton Gardens resident and prior long-time Houston resident, passed away peacefully in the presence of four generations of family in Colorado Springs on January 20, 2006. A Memorial Service was held at the Brighton Gardens Reminiscence Unit honoring Mr. Gibson's life prior to his ashes being flown to Houston for burial in the family plot. The Memorial Service in Houston took place March 4th at St. Paul's Methodist Church, the family's church home for over 75 years. A 1935 graduate of Rice Institute (now Rice University) with a degree in Engineering, Geophysics and Geology, Mr. Gibson held advanced degrees from Harvard University in Electronics and from The Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Engineering, Science and Management. He spent over 35 years working for the Texaco Oil Company both before and after seeing service in World War II. His career assignments with Texaco encompassed many areas of the United States and Canada, most notably with long periods in Calgary, Alberta, Denver, CO., and Houston, TX. His participation in the building of the Alaska Pipeline took him often to the far north during both summer and winter seasons. His last position with Texaco was serving as the General Manager of Texaco's Geophysical Lab located in Bellaire, TX. A World War II veteran with the rank of Captain, United States Army, Mr. Gibson served in the Burma-China-India Theater (BCI), as Commanding Officer, 558th Signal Aircraft and Radar Warning Battalion, in Myitkyina, Burma, located in North Central Burma, reached by truck convoy through both jungle and mountainous terrain via the now famous Ledo Road. His command responsibility encompassed overseeing all radar operation involved in guiding American flying planes on their outbound and returning journeys over "the Hump" when bombing Japan was their squadron mission during WWII. Mr. Gibson was a member of the following professional groups: Past-President of the Houston Geophysical Society; The American Association of Petroleum Geologists; The Society of Exploration Geophysicists; The Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists; The Geological Society of Washington; the American Institute of Electrical Engineers; and the Association of Professional Engineers of Alberta Province, Canada. He was also a member of the University Club, both in Denver, CO., and Houston, TX. Mr. Gibson is survived by his only child, daughter, Mary Helen Gibson Phillips(Maggie); granddaughter: Dr. Kelly Phillips-Henry, and great-granddaughter, Sarah Elizabeth Henry, all of Colorado Springs, CO.; grandson, Blake Hunter Phillips and great-grandson, Carter Blakemore Phillips of Portland, OR.; and his youngest sister, Anne Gibson Harlow, of Ft. Worth, TX. He was preceded in death by his wife of 64 years, Helen Kelly Gibson. Memorial donations in place of flowers may be made to Odyssey Hospice, 4465 Northpark Drive, Ste, 400, Colorado Springs, CO 80907 in the name of William Hunter Gibson.