E. Burr Gibson is another in the line of great men who have shaped Marts and Lundy—and the field of philanthropy—through his leadership and character. Gibson came to the firm in 1964, when he had the opportunity to work personally with Dr. Marts and Mr. Lundy. He is still active today, over 40 years later. For such a long tenure in the field, he explained that he got his start in philanthropy quite by accident:
“When I graduated from Syracuse University, I was going to stay on and get my masters degree. And what I was going to do was be an associate in the placement office. And it was actually graduation day, I think, or the day before or the day after, and the director of the placement center asked me if I would take an interview with the March of Dimes organization. And I said, ‘Well, I’m starting to work for you. Wouldn’t it be kind of strange that you would have me do the interview?’ And he said, ‘Well, to tell you the truth, I promised that I’d have some people for them to look at and I need somebody to fill in.’
“So I filled in and this elderly gentleman with a great New England accent and a corncob pipe was there. He was a Dartmouth man. He said, ‘We’re looking for someone who’s been out of school for several years, preferably who’s been in the service, and preferably is a resident of New York state. Well, we don’t hit on any of those with you, so let’s just chat and have a good time.’ Lo and behold, we get through the interview and he says, ‘You know, son, I like you. You don’t fit the description,’ he said, ‘but I’m just going to see what I can do.’ Read More
E. Burr Gibson Chairman 1982-1991
