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Memorable Manitobans: Ronald Wilson Gibson (1903-1993)
Musician. Born at Maidstone, Kent, England in 1903, he moved with his family to Morden in 1913 where he began taking music lessons. The family moved to Winnipeg in 1918, where he studied organ. He was church organist at several Winnipeg churches over the years, including Holy Trinity from from 1934 to 1987. He also conducted the Winnipeg Choral and Orchestral Society (1927-1929), and the Manitoba Schools Orchestra (1935-1940). During the Second World War, he served with the Royal Canadian Air Force then studied in England (1946-1949) before returning to direct the University of Manitoba School of Music until 1963. He retired in 1968 to turn to a career as a composer; he also wrote music reviews for the Winnipeg Free Press. In recognition of his service, he was given an honorary doctorate by the University of Winnipeg (1972) and was inducted into the Order of the Buffalo Hunt (1987). He died at the St. Boniface Hospital on 14 December 1993. Sources:“Ronald W. Gibson, organist,” Manitoba Calling, Vol. 12, No. 5, May 1948, page 8. Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 18 December 1993, page 57. Dictionary of Manitoba Biography by John M. “Jack” Bumsted, Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 1999. This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough. Page revised: 5 June 2019
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