Michael K. Gibson was born in Riverside, CA on October 30, 1938, the eldest of three children to USAF Brigadier General Kenneth and Maude Gibson. As the son of an officer in the U.S. Army Air Corps (later the U.S. Air Force), Mike had a typical military family life that included dealing with multiple moves, living in various countries, and attending many different schools. After graduating from high school in 1956, he attended the University of Alaska for one year before receiving a congressional appointment to West Point. He entered the Academy in July 1958 with over 800 plebes of the USMA Class of 1962.

With his prior exposure to the lifestyle while growing up, Mike was already familiar with a lot of the disciplinary and restrictive aspects of the military and should have had little problem adjusting to the regimentation of life at West Point, but apparently this was not the case. As one of his plebe roommates said, “Mike seemed to be like a ‘vacuum cleaner’ in accumulating demerits for all different reasons.” For whatever reason, he did not readily take to the “spit and polish” aspects of life as a cadet and had numerous run-ins with upperclassmen conducting inspections and enforcing the other various aspects of cadet life. This attribute seemed to be the primary reason for Mike’s becoming a member of the Century Club. Membership in this “elite” organization was reserved for those cadets who accumulated enough demerits during their time at the Academy to have had the “pleasure” of walking more than 100 hours of punishment tours in Central Area during what would normally have been their free time on Wednesday and weekend afternoons. Another factor that could have possibly contributed might have been his attraction to the female sex. This was evidenced by the fact that he spent a significant amount of time on weekends in the weapons room, when he wasn’t walking the Area, engaging in that favorite cadet pastime of “girl watching.” Mike was a quiet, introspective individual who mostly kept to himself and went about his business with little or no fanfare. 

Mike’s prior college experience seemed to help him adjust to the Academy’s academic requirements, and he had very little problem in this area. On the athletic side, Mike played both soccer and rugby for two years and also participated in all of the other various required intramural sports. He was very active with the both the cadet radio station KDET and the Pointer magazine for his entire time at the Academy, and he was a member of the Parachute Club and several other clubs during his four years.

Following in his father’s footsteps, Mike chose to enter the U.S. Air Force after graduation. He actively pursued and achieved his goal of becoming an Air Force pilot. Mike completed the Air Force’s basic and advanced pilot training programs and was ultimately assigned as a crewmember flying the KC-135 Stratotanker, which was used to complete mid-air refueling of both fighter and bomber aircraft, enabling them to significantly extend their range without landing. He continued piloting these tanker aircraft during his remaining time in the Air Force. 

After his initial service commitment Mike decided not to pursue the military as a career, resigned his commission, and left the military service. Upon his release, Mike returned to Madison, WI, where his parents had been stationed during his time as a cadet and where they had subsequently retired, to look for a future in the civilian world. Shortly thereafter, in June 1969, he became engaged and married his wife, Phyllis, and they settled down in the Madison area. Mike spent most of the rest of his years in civilian life as an account executive for the Union Cab Company in Madison.

Throughout his later life, Mike was an active member of the Madison philanthropic scene, participating in charities such as the local PBS Telethon Auction and the annual Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Telethon. He was also active in the Audubon Society and was an avid hot air balloon enthusiast who frequently acted as both a crew member and frequent passenger.

Unfortunately, Mike eventually contracted and became a victim of cancer, which he fought valiantly for a number of years before succumbing and passing away at age 55 on March 20, 1994. Mike and Phyllis had no children, and Phyllis still lives in the Madison area. On his passing, Mike was also survived by his parents (Brigadier General Kenneth [USAF Retired] and Maude Gibson), his two brothers (Kent and Daniel), and their four children.

Mike can be remembered by all who knew him as “one of the good guys” for whom a fitting tribute might be the following statements of a friend taken from his obituary: “Mike, the philosophy of your life was doing the best with the hand that’s been dealt to you. You have won the game in the eyes of your relatives and many friends”. Mike’s M-2 and other USMA classmates join in celebrating his life, mourning his passing at such a young age, and congratulating him for a job “Well Done.” Additionally, all of the members of the Long Gray Line who knew Mike stand together and wish to say to him in his final resting place, “Be Thou at Peace.”