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Show A 4 Vernal ExpfeSS Fridoy, February 24, 1984 When most people doodle, Leland Gibbons sketches. He plans and draws ideas he has for projects he would like to tackle. One of his sketches is now a clock that has a series of wheels, weights and pulleys, much like a cuckoo clock. The intricate j)arts have been carefully careful-ly planned and made so the clock will keep time. It can be set so it will run faster or slower. He made his wife's and his own wedding wed-ding bands. Not only are they unique and crafted to their liking, but they are precious because of the time he spent in making them. Most of the articles Gibbons makes are given away to others, some he still has and uses. He made his daughter a cradle for her dolls and his sons toy guns of wood. He scaled down the guns to three-fourths the original size and they have working work-ing mechanisms that will eject the shell. He also made them scaled down compound bows and arrows for Christmas this year. Gibbons remembers being interested in-terested in learning to work with woods and other materials in high school, but was involved in too many other activities to take classes then. When he started college he decided to major in Industrial Arts Education because of the variety of subjects and things to be learned. He says he gets bored easily. "I could never work on an assembly line making one part over and over." He likes teaching Vocational 1 or Life Skills, which explores different occupations oc-cupations and careers, at Vernal Middle Mid-dle School because he is able to instruct in-struct and teach students but still change subjects which keeps him from getting "burned out." When he starts a new subject in his classes, it is like a revitalization, he becomes enthused again. Gibbons, who has been teaching in Vernal for 18 years, says that most people don't realize that they can make these kind of things if they will take the time to learn the basic skills. They need to research out the methods to accomplish, these things. It doesn't matter whether you are a slow or a fast worker, if you are willing to stick with it, most people are able to produce pro-duce something that is satisfying to themselves and others. "You can see that they enjoy it very much," says Gibbons. He is very adamant about the importance impor-tance of proper planning, organizing and preparation when undertaking a project. "Students of the age I teach are anxious anx-ious to get started with projects, but lack the basic skills; they rush through and don't plan," Gibbons said. If they think through the process, sketch it on paper, make scale drawings and go through an organized procedure of planning, they can progress without the kinds of mistakes they would make if they just rushed through without planning. "It's like building a home. If you Sstsff X ' if JiT - " JW. 'I f yi ii 1 mm., ?V V"' ; 1 !'"'" f superintendents or secretaries. Only two are not in education." Gibbons received as Associate of Science degree at Ricks College in Idaho, his Bachelor of Science at Brigham Young University and, during dur-ing the summer, earned his Master of Science also at BYU. "You will never get rich teaching, but there is satisfaction in watching the students learn, especially when they learn how to plan properly and follow through on those plans and produce pro-duce articles they are happy about and the parents are excited to see," Gibbons Gib-bons said. Especially those students that have a difficult time with academic subjects, sub-jects, you can see blossom and find their own niche and the type of things they didn't mind doing for an occupation, occupa-tion, Gibbons said. He and his wife, Marilyn, have four children, Timothy, 8, Tyler, 6, Tiffany, 2, and Tara, 8 months. He uses the toys he makes for his boys as teaching tools for them. Since the guns have working mechanisms, the boys have learned the proper handling techniques of a gun, and they know never to point a gun at anyone. He has taught them how to properly handle the bows. Even though they know how to operate them properly, they always have adult supervision. When Gibbons first started making different articles he had planned, he started by experimenting. Also, he used us-ed sample materials and scaled down the article. This makes mistakes a little lit-tle less costly. He practiced on the sample materials until he became proficient. Then he tried bigger and better things. Now the products he turns out are amazing. "I have always had a drive to try new things and to explore as many different dif-ferent materials as I possibly can. The challenge for me is to design projects of my own liking and try to produce that product as best I can," Gibbons said. "I get into a lot of projects because I need it, someone else needs it or wants it and to encourage students and show them what can be done." Others have discovered his talents. He might help someone with a float, then they are involved in another project pro-ject that can use his talents, and so his reputation spreads. He said he likes to help others and make special things, especially when he has enough time to do it and do it well. Also, he likes to have the freedom to develop things the way he likes them and thinks they should be. He works with all types of materials: wood, leather, different types of metals, including welding, fabrication, silver smithing, foundry, and casting. He works with electricity and electronics elec-tronics in his classes, silk screens prints, and he and his wife have drawn up several sets of house plans, planning plann-ing for their dream house. In addition to this, he is active in athletics and enjoys working with the youth. He has also been in some musical groups, such as the Select Edition and participated in the Farm Bureau Talent Show. "This demonstrates why I'm in the area I'm in. I like to do as many things as possible in work and play," he said. LELAND GIBBONS shows the clock he made for his wife. It works with wheels, weights and pulleys much like a cuckoo clock. He first made a smaller clock, then scaled it up and made this larger one. don't have a blueprint and a good foundation, foun-dation, the house cannot be built. If you don't get the basics, including academic and basic skills, you can't develop very efficiently or very fast," says Gibbons. Gibbons feels his planning and organizing skills comes from the example ex-ample his parents set. His father was extremely organized. "It may have taken him longer to complete a project, pro-ject, but when it was done it was done well," said Gibbons. Gibbons is very particular about his work. "Everyone makes mistakes. When I make a mistake, I would rather spend the extra money to begin again so it is right." He uses the mistakes as examples for his students of what not to do. Gibbons was raised in Gooding, Idaho and comes from a family of five brothers and one sister. He got his educational background from his family. "Almost all my relatives are in education, either teachers, principals, ......., . ,. -..,y ... - - - . . . w .. . . :v. - v- ...vj&KA&il . " xWfa W. I , , I ' J ... v-n. . j " . . ' 1 . ," f ' 1 ffTH , .... , ) ( I , f V " .-r c'-. ,J , LI fi'-'' 'frVrJ LELAND GIBBONS rubs down a cradle he made for his daughter. THE TOY GUN Gibbons is holding is made of the size of a real rifle. He also made his sons corn-wood. corn-wood. The mechanism works and actually will pound bows, which are scaled down, eject a shell, which is also wood. These are V ' .... .,-.--v , THIS SADDLE is one of the articles Leland Gibbons has made. He likes to work with all kinds of materials and explore different ways of making products. |