NOVDEC MAG.FINAL

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N O V 2 0 1 7 D E C

THE HISTORIAN’S SPOTLIGHT

by Pat Davis

Billy Gibson E ach time I talk with people and read information about them in preparation for the Spotlight article, I am humbled and im- pressed by their stories. Billy Gibson ’s story is no exception. Many of you see and have seen Billy attending local, national and international FBINAA events and are familiar with his kind and calming manor. I am honored to present his story below. Billy was born in the late 1930’s in the town of Pageland, South Carolina, and spent his early years on the family farm in the nearby small town of Mt. Croghan. During World War II, the family moved to Charles- ton South Carolina where his father worked in the Naval Ship Yard. In 1946 the family moved back to their farm home where they constructed and operated a community grocery store. Billy comment- ed that being raised on a farm has so many benefits, and even though it is a hard life, there is so much to learn that you could not experience in any other way. In 1948, their home was consumed by fire taking his father's life. Billy was ten years old at that time. After the fire, he and his mother moved into a barn located behind the store and stayed there for two years. They had a well for water and an outhouse for their rest room, there was no electricity in the building. While it was a rough couple of years, Billy found it to be most interesting and learned a lot about life during this experience. He recalls waking up one morning with snow covering his bed and states “while there were hardships, he and his mother made the best of the situation and grew stronger in their resolve to succeed in life.” During those two years they were able to construct a new home by disassembling a farm house on the property and, using that mate- rial, framed their new home. In addition to attending school, Billy drove a school bus. The state paid student driv- ers $25.00 per month for driving and a $35.00 bonus at the end of the school year, if you didn't have a wreck. Big bucks at that time! Billy would also work on the farm in the afternoons. At the age of 16 he graduated from Mt. Croghan High School and became a full-time farmer as well as assisting his mother in operating their country store. For fun, Billy learned to play the guitar. In l955 he became part of a band called “The Cardinals.” They began as a country music band but moved onto Rock and Roll under the influence of Elvis, Chuck Berry and many other stars. Also during this period of time, the US Air Force Defense Com- mand started a volunteer Ground Observer Corp program to monitor aircraft throughout the US. The family country store was selected as Billy Gibson

one of the sites for monitoring, and the Corp enlisted fifty-five vol- unteers in the area to participate in the program. That's when Billy became involved with Air Force personnel, which would later result in his joining that branch of service. In 1959, after the program was de- activated, Billy made the decision to join the Air Force. He disbanded his band, sold all the equipment, and in April 1959 became an airman. This move changed his life forever. His hope and plan was to become an Air Traffic Controller, complete his four year term and return to the farm where he would secure a job at the Charlotte, North Carolina Airport as an air traffic controller and live happily ever after. As fate would have it, his plan was short lived when he learned that the Air Force did not need any air traffic controllers, and he was assigned to the security service branch. Upon requesting information concerning the program, he was told “We don't know, it's top secret.” After completing basic training, Billy was transferred to Goodfellow AFB in San Angelo, Texas to receive advanced security training. He completed the training with the highest GPA in the class and, as a re- sult, was provided a list of possible duty assignments given first choice on where he would like to relocate. The list of sites included, England, Scotland, and other choice assignments. However, being a farm boy, Billy chose Alaska with visions of moose, caribou, bear, and salmon fishing. Other class members thought he was crazy, but he was excited. Billy reflects that this assignment would prove to be the best choice for him, as it was in Alaska that he met and married his wife, Phyllis . When he first noticed her, she was a participant in the Miss Alaska pageant. He later discovered that they attended the same church. It was at church that they became acquainted and the rest is history. Their fifty-five year joyous history includes two children, three grandchildren and one great grandchild with another on the way. After completing his four year commitment to the Air Force, Billy and Phyllis returned to the Gibson farm in Mt. Croghan. Shortly after returning to South Carolina, he became a member of the Chesterfield County Sheriff's office as a Deputy Sheriff. Billy worked with that agency for twelve years and during his tenure with them was selected to attend the 93rd session of the FBI National Academy. In the early 1970's the GI bill was put back into operation, and with this opportunity Billy secured his degree in Criminal Justice from the University of South Carolina. In l976 he became Police Chief of the Pageland, SC Police Department and remained with that agency for six years. During his tenure with that department, the agency re- ceived the Southern Bell Award of Excellence as the most outstanding law enforcement agency in S.C. It was the first small agency ever to have ever received this award.

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