Generations of Union alumni know Dr. George Gibson, class of 1969, as a man who can speak insightfully — and at length — on nearly any topic. So when he was honored last month with a lifetime achievement award at the triennial conference of the Association of Seventh-day Adventist Historians (ASDAH), some in the audience may have been surprised by the brevity of his acceptance speech.
It was just one sentence: “Thank you for the recognition.”
“I had no idea it was coming,” Gibson reflected later. “When they were talking about the award, I thought, Oh, that’s nice for whoever they give this to. I was surrounded by a host of people much more eligible than me. Then at the end, they said my name. I was stunned, and that’s an understatement. There were so many other great historians there.”
It turns out the one subject Gibson is not comfortable expounding upon is his own accomplishments. He hopes his single sentence was sufficient to convey his shock and gratitude in the moment.
The dedication on the award says simply, “The leadership of the North American Division affirm and recognize George Gibson, Ph.D., for academic excellence and Christ-centered scholarship.” That also seems too short for a man who made an indelible impression on so many students over his 34 years at Union and seven years at College View Academy.
“Dr Gibson is an excellent model of how to be a thriving contributor to an Adventist institution,” said Lisa Clark Diller, president of ASDAH and a professor at Southern Adventist University. “He helped build an interdisciplinary department, creating a strong positive place to work, and cultivating colleagues who are strong teachers and collaborators. His consistent support for young historians in the Adventist church, his positive approach to research and teaching, and his reliable presence at our ASDAH gatherings have helped strengthen the community of scholars that ASDAH represents.”
According to Ed Allen, an ASDAH officer and retired Union professor, “George Gibson has been an exceptional leader in teaching history for more than forty years, and his involvement in the Association of Seventh-day Adventist Historians has stretched nearly as long. He has provided instruction and mentoring to many young historians. His quiet influence has often been behind the scenes, and his impact has had a lasting effect.”
Though Gibson retired in 2015, he has remained part of the campus community as a professor emeritus and shares his experience as a member of the Board of Trustees Academic Committee. He also continues to contribute to the university’s academic environment through a biennial lecture series held in his honor.
“Dr. Gibson’s years of teaching were not only transformational for his students, but also for the institution itself,” said Yami Bazan, university president. “George has wisdom for every situation, often coming in the form of a folksy story, and he has never backed down from sharing his wisdom, even when facing presidents and trustees who were set on other paths. His years at Union were not only marked by his brilliance as an educator, but by his leadership in the Division of Humanities and the tireless care he demonstrated — hundreds of past and present employees remember George showing up to help them move in, and staying late to clean up after campus events. Few people epitomize the ‘Union Spirit’ as completely as George Gibson.”
Hosted by Walla Walla University at their Rosario Beach campus, Gibson says the ASDAH conference was filled with thought-provoking and insightful presentations and conversations. He is happy to talk at length about the research shared by his colleagues, and his hopes to get some of the presenters to speak at Union. But when it comes to the award bestowed by his colleagues for a lifetime of dedicated service, he’ll let his legacy — and not his words — do the talking.