After great accomplishments in their respective careers, Jim and Verna Gibson return to Huntington where they are lending their time and talent to help this community realize its great potential.
By Jessica G. Farner
HQ 59 | AUTUMN 2006
Jim and Verna Gibson affectionately refer to their Huntington home as a “gathering place.” Yet on this sunny September afternoon the house on the corner of Eighth Street and 13th Avenue bordering Ritter Park closely resembles a circus – albeit a warm, lavishly decorated one.
Verna is in the midst of a telephone conversation with New York Jets quarterback and Marshall alumnus Chad Pennington as Jim rushes to greet a delivery person who is ringing the doorbell. “We love this home, but it can become nuts around here,” Jim says with a laugh.
The Gibson’s purchased the home five years ago and since then have remodeled and expanded to accommodate their growing circle of friends in Huntington. The house often plays host to Marshall University functions as well as other charitable events.
Growing up on the Eastside of Huntington, Jim said he remembers admiring the home he now shares with his wife. “I always thought this was such a beautiful house, but I certainly never thought I would live in it. The park was a different world.”
Jim also spent a large portion of his childhood in Hinton, W.Va. while Verna grew up in Elkview.
The Gibsons met at Marshall University during the summer between Verna’s freshman and sophomore years. “I broke a date to go to Zips, a local hangout, with a few of my sorority sisters to hear a wonderful band called the Parliaments,” Verna said. “As soon as we walked in the door, I ran into the young man I had broken the date with, and I was so embarrassed. Jim also was there with several of his fraternity brothers.
“I knew all the people at the table except Jim, and he knew everyone there except me,” Verna said. “We had never met, though we probably spent more than a year attending the same functions. When we did finally meet it was a real collision! There was an immediate attraction between us, and it never stopped,” Jim said. “You hear about people falling in love at first sight, and that is exactly what happened with Vern and me.”
The Gibsons were married at the Highlawn Methodist Church April 28, 1962, and their 44-year union has produced two daughters, Kelly Winbigler and Elizabeth Allen, two “wonderful” sons-in-law, three granddaughters and one grandson. Kelly, Elizabeth and their families live in Westerville, Ohio, just northeast of Columbus.
The Gibsons were raised in small West Virginia towns, and their romance flourished at Marshall, but their careers have taken them to Asia, Europe and beyond. Jim commenced a career in sales after leaving Marshall in 1961, and the couple moved to various cities as his career evolved.
In 1965, the Gibsons returned for a six-year stay in Huntington when Jim’s company – Johnson & Johnson – transferred him back to his hometown. Verna worked part-time at The Smart Shop, a retail clothing store in downtown Huntington owned by Simon Mazo and his sister, Selma Mazo Jacobson, during her tenure at Marshall. She accepted a buyer and merchandise manager position with the store upon the couple’s return and also purchased lingerie for The Princess Shop, owned by Steve Jacobson, Selma’s son.
Jim began working for the Schick Razor Company in 1969, and the Gibsons relocated to Columbus when he was promoted in 1971. When Steve Jacobson’s family realized the Gibsons were moving to Columbus, they wrote a letter of reference to a friend in the fashion industry; however, Verna had a job lined up at a women’s clothing store. Steve continued to talk about the friend, who he met while attending The Ohio State University. This friend had opened a store in the Eastland Mall in Columbus, and Steve encouraged Verna to meet him. Steve’s friend was none other than billionaire Leslie Wexner, founder of The Limited Inc.
To read the rest of “Jim & Verna ,” please visit the Back Issues page of our website to purchase this issue of the Huntington Quarterly.
