HR0615 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0615 LRB104 17765 ECR 31197 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

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

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

WHEREAS, Dr. Gibson, along with his wife, opened the A.G. Gaston Motel and Restaurant in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963; his business became one of many Green Book locations across the South that provided Black people with safe dining and lodging during segregation, and it also became the headquarters and center of activity for the Birmingham civil rights crusade; his establishment hosted leaders, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rev. Andrew Young, Rev. Wyatt Tee Walker, Rev. Ralph Abernathy, and others, as they planned demonstrations, such as the March on Washington, and fought to desegregate public facilities in Birmingham and to gain equal rights for Black Americans; and

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

WHEREAS, Dr. Gibson was a life member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and he was involved in the establishment and chartering of the fraternity's Mu Mu Lambda Graduate Chapter in DuPage County in 1976, serving as its first president; he served as president of the local NAACP chapter in DuPage County, vice-president and then president of the Enhancement Organization of Olympia Fields, and president of the Wysteria Homeowners Association for 24 years; he also served as a governor appointee on the committee to make Dr. King's birthday a federal holiday; and

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

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

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

WHEREAS, Dr. Gibson was always polite, engaging, and complimentary; he was known for making people feel special, confident, and seen, and he touched many lives with his wisdom and experience; and

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

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

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

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