Frank Gibson

In Greenville, Michigan, where Frank Gibson grew up, the major local employer was the Gibson Refrigerator Company. “My great-grandfather, my grandfather and my father ran the company,” Gibson says, but the factory was sold when he was a child.

After high school, he dropped out of Kalamazoo College, moved to California and spent four years as a hot-air balloonist. It took 10 hours of training to get a license,” he says. “I flew charter flights, promotions and training, all over the U.S., Mexico and Central America.” He returned to school at UC Irvine for a degree in English and then entered law school at the UO. “I remembered Oregon from an Outward Bound program when I was 17,” says Gibson, who has worked in private practice law in Eugene since graduation in 1979. Also a trained mediator, he encourages mediation to settle disputes.

Inspired by the Oscar-winning short film Teenage Father, Gibson got involved with Planned Parenthood in 1980. “I felt I could help counsel young men,” he says. “But they asked me to serve on the board.” He served on the national board from 1986-92 and has since chaired local and statewide boards. In 2013, Planned Parenthood of SW Oregon gave him the Margaret Sanger Award, named for the movement’s founder. He also won last year’s Joseph M. Kosydar Award for Professionalism, presented by the Lane County Bar Association.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!