Gibson, Thomas F., III: Files, 1983-1987

Office of Public Affairs, 1985-1987

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Scope and Content Note

This collection is currently unarranged. There are a large number of Office of Public Affairs designated boxes and it is very possible the Library staff will identify further Gibson material from these boxes. In addition, some boxes assigned to this collection contain work product from other individuals and may be moved or cross referenced at a later date.

Biography

Biography

Thomas Fenner Gibson III was a founding editor and cartoonist on the Opinion staff of USA Today. He has worked with The Washington Post, The Atlantic Monthly, The New York Times, and the National Journal. Gibson served in two different posts at the Reagan White House. His eclectic career has included communications, international affairs, health care, aviation and non-profit fields.

Thomas Gibson was born on January 23, 1955 in Petal, Mississippi. Gibson is a cum laude graduate of Princeton University (B.A., 1977) and Harvard University (M.P.A., 1982).

Post college graduation Gibson started as a free-lance political illustrator for a number of publications from 1977 to 1982. Gibson was a legislative assistant to Oklahoma Senator Dewey F. Bartlett, 1978-1979, and Director of Government Relations for The Brick Institute of America from 1979-1981. From 1982-1983, Gibson was an editor on the opinion staff of USA Today. In 1983, Gibson joined the White House staff in the Reagan Administration as an Associate Director of the Office of Cabinet Affairs.

He was then appointed to be Special Assistant to the President and Director of Public Affairs. He stayed at the White House until 1987.

After leaving the Reagan Administration, Gibson joined the Wexler Group, the public affairs and strategic communications firm as a Senior Vice President. In 1996, Gibson was recruited by MCI, an early cellular phone provider. He served as Director of Special Projects, reporting to the CEO and working on issues related to the Internet and international expansion. In 1998, Gibson joined Dr. Taylor Wang and others in forming Encapsulife, Inc., with Gibson serving as its president. Encapsulife is a private corporation created to commercialize Dr. Wang's nano-technology and bio-medical research. In 1999, Gibson formed his own communications and public affairs firm, Kirkwood/Gibson, and subsequently joined forces with the White House Writers Group, a collection of former high-level White House and executive branch communications professionals. Also in 1999, Gibson was appointed Senior Vice President for Corporate Affairs of Mooney Aircraft, a manufacturer of high-performance piston aircraft.

Gibson founded Advocacy Animation in 2001 with the goal of creating and animated cartoon that could be produced within a 24-hour news cycle.

In 2002, Gibson joined former U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff General Ronald Fogelman in establishing Durango Pro-Focus Flight Training, which created a flight training program in conjunction with Midland College. Eventually the college assumed responsibility for flight instruction, General Fogelman retired, and the company changed its name to G.83 Aerospace with Gibson as its new president. The company broadened its range of aviation-related services.

In 2003, Gibson founded New Generation Foundation to promote access to opportunity for young people. New Generation has supported a number of initiatives including Airborne Lifeline Foundation which provides a flying medical service in Botswana and Malawi and the Squash Diabetes! Campaign launched by the Georgetown University Women's Squash Team.

Gibson currently resides in Washington, DC.

Record Type

Textual

Last Modified Date

2025-03-20

WHORM Alpha File

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Gibson, Thomas F., III: Files, 1983-1987

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