Gibson Funds History Chair
John "Van" Gibson '59 has endowed a professorship in history at Colby, bringing the total number of endowed chairs at the College to 24.
The first occupant of the John J. and Cornelia V. Gibson Chair in History, named for Gibson's parents, is Richard "Pete" Moss, a member of the Colby faculty since 1978. Moss, who holds bachelor's and master's degrees and a Ph.D. from Michigan State, is the author of three books: Noah Webster, a biography; History of American Language; and A Station of Peculiar Exposure: The Life of Jedediah Morse. His research and teaching specialties include intellectual and cultural history of the United States; history of sports; and trends in American thought and popular culture.
The Gibson chair is the 24th such gift to the College and the 20th since 1990. Endowed chairs such as Gibson's allow Colby to recognize and reward its most distinguished teachers and scholars in selected fields, supporting their compensation and providing them with discretionary funds for their research. The new chairs have helped Colby retain its best professors and attract top scholars to the faculty by offering salaries and benefits that are among the best in the nation.
Now retired and living in Bay Shore, Long Island, Gibson was for many years an executive with Chase Manhattan Bank.