In Memoriam: George W. Gibson

George W. Gibson, an engineer, vertical-transportation (VT) consultant and longtime member of the A17 Standards Committee, passed away on August 11 at age 86 in Phoenix, Arizona. When Gibson was honored upon his retirement from the committee in 2016, he was described as an inspirational leader, mentor and trusted friend to many. Gibson was the longest-standing member of the committee, having first been elected in 1975, and had been a member of the VT industry for more than 65 years. He began his career with Otis in 1956, holding positions of increasing responsibility until his retirement from the company in 1993 as director of Worldwide Codes and Safety. While at Otis, Gibson made many important contributions to engineering, codes and standards. He went on to found consultancy George W. Gibson and Associates Inc. George Gibson’s youngest son, Scott Gibson, shared that, in the year before he passed, his father concentrated on two passions: family genealogy and “his truest passion, elevator safety.” Scott Gibson said, “Up until he could no longer sit in a wheelchair, he was working on one last paper. I think he knew the end was near, as he told me where I could send it when the time came.”