William Gibson

William Gibson, known as “Stokey” to his fellows, was from Laurinburg. He was finishing his freshman year at A and T when he enlisted in the Navy on May 19, 1942. He earned a B.S. in industrial arts from A and T in 1949 and his first job was at Eppes High School in Greenville, where he taught music and industrial arts for five years. He next moved to Lawrenceville, Va., to teach at Polytech Institute for four years, then taught electronics at Hillside for year, and then at Fayetteville State until his retirement.

Prior to attending A and T, Gibson went to Laurinburg Academy, where he was in 6th grade when Dizzy Gillespie was a senior: “He was already famous around there,” he recalled.