Remembering Frank Gibson

The passing of Frank Gibson removes from the scene one of Bethel’s most noteworthy "characters." I have been listening to Frank’s stories since the 1970s. He inevitably seemed to want to scandalize me with some of his tales and I have to admit several of them did cause me to pause a bit. However, I usually assured him that is difficult to shock a historian if he/she has done his/her "homework."

 It was invariably a pleasure to visit him every fall for apples and cider. I never knew what topic he would raise each time we met, but it rarely was anything ordinary or predictable.

 I trust his family will in the future keep the orchard going and the cider flowing. The fun of seeing Frank again will be gone, but every time I have an opportunity to sip a glass of cold cider from his apples, there will certainly be a broad smile on my face as I reflect upon the legacy of a master storyteller who so often in his long life did it his way.

Stan Howe

Bethel