James C. Gibson Jr. ’56

Jim died peacefully in his sleep Dec. 20, 2015, at his Atlantic Beach, Fla., residence. He was 81.

Jim matriculated from Abington (Pa.) High School. At Princeton, he majored in engineering, joined Cannon Club, and roomed for three years with Ray Mentzer. They shared a suite senior year with nine Cannon members, a group that included both the tallest and shortest members of our class and five sports captains. As our baseball captain, Jim was one of them. A standout southpaw, he flirted with pitching a no-hitter, his boyhood dream. Mentzer liked to tell him that if he had sped over to cover first rather than waddling, he’d have made that dream come true.

Ever a gregarious and popular man, Jim was elected president of our graduating class and moved on to a Navy career, rising to the rank of captain. He served his final tour at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard near his boyhood home. Jim then worked for CDI Marine, a naval-engineering company in the Jacksonville area, where he became vice president for acquisitions. Active in golf, he loved his roles as marshal and ranger at the Marsh Landing Club.

To his beloved wife, Kitty; sons James, Blair, Keith, and Geoffrey; and his five grandchildren; we send our heartfelt sympathies in memory of one of our leaders.