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Show 9 IV is life as a newspaper editor and publisher was spent entirely in the central Utah town where he was born. There he earned the praise and respect of his readers and the high regard of his journalistic contemporaries. Roy Elmo Gibson was associate editor of the Nephi Times-New- s before he was 21 years of age and when he relinquished the helm in 1976 he'd devoted more than 45 years to informing, advising and editorially leading Juab County. Since Vol. 1 ; No. 1 , the newspaper he served with enthusiasm and devotion has had a Gibson name on the masthead. Hence on the day this honor is paid to his memory, a Gibson has been linked with news-gatherin- g decades. resulted from the April in Nephi for more than eight ROY E. GIBSON Nephi Times-New- s 1 , 1917 The Times-New- s merger of the Juab County Times, founded in 1 909, and the Nephi City News, launched in 1916. Seven predecessors, the first begun in 1887, had failed. of the Times and of the merged publication was Abraham B. Gibson, oldest son in a family of eight. His youngest brother, Roy, grew up in Nephi, attending its schools until he'd completed eighth grade. In 1926, he moved with part of his family to Logan, where he finished high school. The change of residence took place so that some of the Gibson children could enroll at what was then Utah Agricultural College. Their home for them and, in mother provided an addition, offered lodging and meals for other college students. During those years Roy's journalistic ambitions were nurtured on the school newspaper, the Grizzly. A staff member as a freshman, he become its associate editor when a junior and the editor as a senior. That experience was augmented by working as a "printer's devil" at the Cache Valley Herald, one of two papers that on August 1 , 1931 would join to create off-camp- us the Born December 28, 1911 Died June 17, 1978 Hall of Fame induction February 13, 1993 present-da- y Herald-Journa- l. Members of the Class of 1 930 graduated at a bleak time to launch a career. What was undeniably the worst economic recession in the nation's history was beginning to make itself felt. The stock market had crashed on "Black Friday," October 29, 1929; American business and industry gradually staggered to a near-ha- lt and the job market dropped to unparalleled lows. Nevertheless, Roy added pressroom work to his skills at the Herald and managed to survive payroll reductions until accepting his brother's offer at Nephi. There, not Dec. 1 , 1 948 to Feb. 1 , 1 949 and much more in its mountains. T-- photographs reflected unlike many people on weekly newspapers, he became both a printer and a writer on a deep ground cover of white and REGularly Speaking commented, "From reports of those October 21, 1931. who have been out West, we've haven't had anything here. At the time Roy joined it, the 's flag was augmented by a line of type reading "What Efforts of the Chamber of Commerce resulted in Nephi being selected as the location of a Nephi grows or makes - makes Nephi grow!" Most issues were eight pages, half of them "boiler plate" sheets purchased from Western Newspaper Union bearing a plant manufacturing rubber automotive products, bringing a hefty boost in employment and and were comic columns which of feature stories, payroll revenues. With the elevated financial picture came pressure for improvements. The among variety strips syndicated T-scattered advertisements that, for the most part, trumpeted the virtues of various patent spearheaded the drive for a nqw swimming pool, pointing out the hazards of medicines. Movies playing the Venice Theatre featured Lewis Stone, later Judge Hardy in unsupervised plunges in irrigation7 ditches and reservoirs. That spawned other beneficial numerous films starring Mickey Rooney; Helen Hays, whose career would amazingly span projects in which the newspaper was either an instigator or a strong supporter. In the immediate post-wa- r more than sixty years into the 1 990s and Robert Young, television's Dr. Welby three years, Roy became an enthusiastic member of Utah State decades later. Western fans thrilled to William F. Boyd, who'd one day be better known as Press Association and when the National Editorial Association's 1949 convention was hosted by USPA in Salt Lake City, he was numbered among Utah publishers involved. Hopalong Cassidy. A bus ticket from Nephi to Los Angeles could be purchased for $10 few had $10. Three loaves of bread sold ataiocal bakery for a thin dime. Participation in both organizations would be a labor of love for the Nephi newsman; prices for some cuts of lamb were only five cfentsi pot roast cost nine cents and butter 25 throughout his remaining journalistic years. He moved through all offices of USPA, was its 1955 President and for nearly two decades thereafter a member of its business committee. cents. When a project to gravel 1 1 miles of Highway 91 between Chicken Creek and the Millard County line was announced, over 300 Juab County men applied. Only a He attended NEA conclaves in Chicago, New Orleans, San Francisco, Minneapolis and '30s saw Banff, Alberta, Canada and was a leader in planning and carrying out the 1961 national comparative handful were needed. At its worst, the depression-ridde- n of America's labor force without jobs. convention in Utah. In the Better Newspaper Contest of USPA, the Times-New- s conversation and, was a major award winner in Exploits of Juab's prep basketball team were the topic of street-cornfor he was an athletic after Roy's arrival, began to appear in columns of the Times-New1950 for Community Service and in 1957 for General Excellence. REGularly Speaking, a combination of enthusiast and a capable sports-writePreviously, coverage of high school athletics had whimsy and serious discussion of important Nephi matters, been minimal at best. Early in 1932 he unveiled his first column. Basket Bawl, and when netted first place in its class for Best Editor's Column in 1 951 , 1 952 and 1 954. It the Juab Wasps earned a state tournament berth he placed a pairings chart in the front continued to garner laurels for more than a decade thereafter. "Too often the people who stand up for their rights want to sit down on the rights of window and offered game results to those who telephoned to inquire. On June 1 5, 1933, Roy became the paper's Editor and Manager when his brother leased others, " was a tongue-in-chee- k observation of its writer. So was "People who complain the Idaho Commonwealth of Idaho Falls. Wrote the newly-name- d that they never had a chance probably would be afraid to take a chance if they had the Editor, "Policies of the Times-New- s will remain the same as before. We will appreciate the continued patronage of opportunity. " Perhaps because it had just happened to him, Roy penned, in some the people of Nephi and surrounding territory. Helpful criticism from any subscriber will be exasperation, "You would think a nation brilliant enough to produce could provide and he a shoestring that wouldn't breakl" And, without indicating whether it had happened to appreciated by the new editor. " Though Abe's Idaho venture proved short-live- d returned to Nephi, Roy retained his new title while "A. B.s" name remained as him, he wrote, "Making both ends meet would be comparatively easy if people wouldn't Publisher. During those depression years, Abe often worked outside the newspaper in order buy things their neighbors can 't afford either. " to keep its doors open, leaving the publication in charge of his younger brother. Returning from one of its meetings, Roy reminisced: "At the recent convention of the v A nationwide motto of the depression years was "Buy American!" Scaled-dow- n Utah State Press Association, a panel discussion on 'Editors Columns' was one of the to small-tow- n America, it had its counterpart in "Buy At Home" efforts with similar Saturday morning events . . . Editor's columns come in all sizes and shapes, just like In an editorial the Times-New- s headed "My Pet Peeve," Roy wrote: "Sure, all of editors . . . there are the short ones, the fat ones, the tall, lean ones, and those that are objectives. us occasionally buy something out of town in Salt Lake, Provo, or through a mail order some are just about average. Some, like the editors who write them, are it. some some And make serious are others serious. can Some habits of so and critical not a little on be and at then be times, catalog. ' the whether it be a pair of socks, a tie, a suit, side, with an occasional joke to brighten up the day. "Every time we buy outside of Nephi "Editor's columns sometimes can be like the persistent wife (persistent is a safer word refrigerator, washing machine or an automobile, we 're just helping to knock the Nephi than nagging) merchants a little more. they just keep at 'ya until the desire is accomplished! "In this vein of reflection of the writer, 'REGularly "Every time someone locally wants to put over a project which requires solicitation of Speaking' of recent weeks has been funds, the merchants are the ones that are solicited first. Every time there 's a solicitation very much reflective of the editor . . . missing!" He was the proverbial "friend in need" to fellow publishers for funds for any of the 'national' causes, the merchants are hit first and probably hardest. always willing to help solve their mechanical problems or advise them about sticky editorial matters. Roy's sense of Every time you spend your money outside of Nephi, you're just pushing Nephi's economy down a little more. Nephi merchants hire Nephi people, pay others for services, etc. Nephi humor was his constant companion and he was scarcely ever without a comment that elicited laughter, even when the subject being discussed wasn't laughable. He both told merchants are supporting the schools, the city and county through taxation. "Let 's BUY IN NEPHI when you want to buy. If you can 't find it in Nephi, the majority of and enjoyed good jokes and particularly chuckled at errors in print even in his own paper. the merchants have outlets where they can obtain it for you then, IF all local possibilities Fellow newsmen recall he made no effort to dodge responsibility for a Times-New- s story of an LDS Stake New Years Eve party which informed that "hats and hors will be provided. " are exhausted, that's a different story. " Nephi's newspaper expressed its viewpoints through editorials for many years before the The missing 'n' kept Nephi-ite- s snickering for weeks. advent of Roys personal column, BEGularly Speaking. Once its readership was During its Winter Convention of 1976, the press association honored Roy with its and thereafter editorials established, however, it became the voice of the Times-New- s highest individual accolade, the Master Editor and Publisher Award. His health failed in the 1970s and he was eventually forced to endure the amputation of were rare occurrences. When used, they generally appeared on page one in support of which in criticism of or matters to the a d objected. leg. smile and refused to community projects Though heartsick, he accepted his misfortune with a important On July 18, 1935, Roy was married to Emma Zoe Powell, a native of Raymond, Alberta, let it impair his activities. He did, however, decide to retire and on his 65th birthday, December 28, 1976, he turned the Times-New- s Canada whose father had moved his family to Nephi in 1925 to accept a position as City over to his sons. It was retirement in who a are Their four children name only, they laughed, for he continued to assist with news writing and commercial Electrician. Shirley Birrell, Brigham Young University graduate teaches in Fountain Green and resides in Ephraim; Allan R. and Vance P. Gibson, printing at the plant, became Executive Secretary of the Chamber of Commerce and was a and Daryl R. Gibson, also a 'Y grad, who is production of the Times-Newstringer for the Salt Lake Tribune. A T-- weekly feature, instituted after Roy stepped down as editor and titled "Flowers for manager of the Daily Universe, BYU's campus newspaper, and lives in Springville. They the Living, " related life stories of Juab Countians. On Father's Day of 1 978, Vance substialso made a home for two foster daughters through the Indian Placement Program, Lula tuted his Dad for the scheduled subject. The article, which emphasized the role Roy had Largo, who earned a BYU degree, and Ethelyn Charlie. Both now reside in Provo. Roy and Zoe were grandparents to 18. reflected that in later years he became the played in Nephi's progress for a 1 and of the in 939 most the '30s short remained only supply through community's "Bureau of Information" and was constantly asked questions ranging from Money and jobs outbreak of World War II in Europe began to revive America's economy through military availability of rental homes to historical facts about Nephi. "Dad usually knew the answers was into United an As came the 1941 to too, States, end, swept though, right off, Vance wrote, "and if he didn 't know, he always found out. . manufacturing. He was active throughout his life in the LDS Church, serving as a Bishop and a Stake the conflict. Seeing the opportunity offered by construction of a steel mill at Geneva, Abe Councilor as well as holding numerous other positions at various church levels. purchased the Pleasant Grove Review on April 1 0, 1 942, leaving the Nephi newspaper Despite his health problems, there was no advance warning of a heart attack which entirely in his brother's hands. Roy gradually bought out Aba's interest. War-tim- e claimed his life on June 17, 1978. He was 66 years of age. newspapering was plagued by shortages of supplies, equipment and Though he wrote no thundering editorials like those of famed William Allen White; and manpower, but like other papers, weeklies and dailies, the T-- struggled through and on 1 945 headlined the conflict's end. 1 while Ns words have not been indelibly inscribed in journalistic annals, Roy Gibson was a August 5, newsman's newsman. He was a publisher who used the columns of his paper to The industrial recovery continued unabated after the war and newspapers across the columns reflected community happenings fostered by both land flourished. Times-New- s construct, not destroy; who unfailingly treated people justly in Ns news accounts and believed, as The Journalists Creed proclaims, that the test of good journalism is the Mother Nature and the Chamber of Commerce. measure of its public service. Because all this is true, he is eminently qualified for The former was the bitter winter of 1 949, when states from the Mississippi to the Sierra's were inundated by a series of snowstorms which paralyzed railroad and highway membership in the Utah Newspaper Hall of Fame and deservedly takes Ns place among from fell of of on snow Over six Juab whose names are outstanding in Utah's press history. feet those towns. isolated County traffic and valleys many N -- -- pre-print- N Per-pou- nd one-four- th er s, "one-liners- ," r. bs - happy-go-luck- y; -- - light-heart- ed - - T--N tight-lippe- s, N half-centur- y, ' N |