MEMORIAL-ERNEST E. GIBSON

Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of HR0615

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HR0615 - 104th General Assembly

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HR0615
LRB104 17765 ECR 31197 r
1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

2

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3
Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Ernest
4
Earl Gibson, Ph.D.; and

5

WHEREAS, Dr. Gibson, the son of Japhus and Evelyn Gibson,
6
was born in Dania, Florida on August 16, 1928; after his
7
parents' death, he was adopted by his cousins, Reginald and
8
Evelyn Robinson; he attended the Bordentown School in
9
Bordentown, New Jersey; he served in the United States Army
10
during the Korean Conflict; he received a degree in hotel and
11
restaurant management and institutional food service from the
12
Tuskegee Institute, now known as Tuskegee University, where he
13
was initiated into the Gamma Phi Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha
14
Fraternity, Inc.; he later received a master's degree and a
15
doctorate degree from Northern Illinois University; he married
16
Carolyn Jean Boddie; and

17

WHEREAS, Dr. Gibson, along with his wife, opened the A.G.
18
Gaston Motel and Restaurant in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963;
19
his business became one of many Green Book locations across
20
the South that provided Black people with safe dining and
21
lodging during segregation, and it also became the
22
headquarters and center of activity for the Birmingham civil
23
rights crusade; his establishment hosted leaders, including

HR0615
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LRB104 17765 ECR 31197 r
1
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rev. Andrew Young, Rev. Wyatt Tee
2
Walker, Rev. Ralph Abernathy, and others, as they planned
3
demonstrations, such as the March on Washington, and fought to
4
desegregate public facilities in Birmingham and to gain equal
5
rights for Black Americans; and

6

WHEREAS, Dr. Gibson was the director of Food Services and
7
the Student Union at Arkansas AM&N College, now known as the
8
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff; after moving to Illinois
9
in 1964, he became director of Food and Campus Services for the
10
Joliet Township High Schools and Junior College, where he was
11
instrumental in inviting and hosting Dr. King for a visit and a
12
rally in Joliet in June 1965; he became one of the original
13
administrators and the first Black administrator at the newly
14
formed College of DuPage in 1966, where he played an important
15
role in increasing the number of minority faculty members; he
16
retired as an executive director of Auxiliary and Business
17
Services and an adjunct professor for the College of DuPage
18
after 30 years of service; and

19

WHEREAS, Dr. Gibson was a life member of Alpha Phi Alpha
20
Fraternity, Inc., and he was involved in the establishment and
21
chartering of the fraternity's Mu Mu Lambda Graduate Chapter
22
in DuPage County in 1976, serving as its first president; he
23
served as president of the local NAACP chapter in DuPage
24
County, vice-president and then president of the Enhancement

HR0615
- 3 -
LRB104 17765 ECR 31197 r
1
Organization of Olympia Fields, and president of the Wysteria
2
Homeowners Association for 24 years; he also served as a
3
governor appointee on the committee to make Dr. King's
4
birthday a federal holiday; and

5

WHEREAS, Dr. Gibson was committed to his faith, being a
6
member of the Episcopal Church, the Baptist Church, and the
7
African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church throughout the years;
8
he and his wife were founding members of the DuPage AME Church
9
in Wheaton, and he was a member of Trinity United Church of
10
Christ in Chicago for more than 30 years; and

11

WHEREAS, Dr. Gibson received countless accolades during
12
his lifetime; he and his wife were recognized for their
13
community service when the entrance area and park at Wysteria
14
was dedicated as Gibson Place in their honor in 2020; he was
15
further recognized by the DuPage NAACP and the People's
16
Community Church of Glen Ellyn on January 19, 2025; and

17

WHEREAS, Dr. Gibson was an avid reader and an impressive
18
storyteller; he loved traveling with his wife and family,
19
visiting Europe, Asia, Africa, Canada, the Caribbean, and
20
Mexico, among other locations; most of all, he loved spending
21
time with his family; and

22

WHEREAS, Dr. Gibson was always polite, engaging, and

HR0615
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LRB104 17765 ECR 31197 r
1
complimentary; he was known for making people feel special,
2
confident, and seen, and he touched many lives with his wisdom
3
and experience; and

4

WHEREAS, Dr. Gibson was preceded in death by his parents;
5
his adoptive parents; his wife, Carolyn; his sister, Evelyn
6
Gibson; his siblings-in-law, Cyril Gibson, Elizabeth Gibson,
7
Richard Boddie, and Lenae Boddie; one nephew; and his
8
son-in-law, Wiley Austin Branton Jr.; and

9

WHEREAS, Dr. Gibson is survived by his daughters,
10
Stephanie Gibson Branton and Dorothy (Steven) Gibson Capers;
11
six grandchildren; two nieces; one nephew; and his bonus
12
children, Katrinka, John, and Kalia; therefore, be it

13

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
14
HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
15
we mourn the passing of Ernest Earl Gibson, Ph.D. and extend
16
our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who
17
knew and loved him; and be it further

18

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
19
presented to the family of Dr. Gibson as an expression of our
20
deepest sympathy.

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