Gibbs, Robert Irwin, Jr., Dr., 2013 July 25

This is a Living History interview with Dr. Robert Gibbs Jr., class of 1941, conducted by Marilyn Somers on July 25, 2013 at the Clairmont Place Board Room in Decatur, GA. The subject of the interview is the interviewee’s life and experiences at Georgia Tech.

Dr. Gibbs was born in Atlanta, GA on May 7, 1919. He never knew either of his grandfathers, but he knew both his grandmothers very well. His paternal grandmother worked on a farm and had six children. His maternal grandmother ran a small hotel. Dr. Gibbs remembers his family moving to Clarksville and then moving back to Atlanta in his early years. Dr. Gibbs started school at Moreland Elementary School then went to Bass Junior High School and finished his grade schooling at Boys High School before going to Georgia Tech. He remembers the Great Depression and how his family struggled financially, but they were able to work extra and afford things like a boy scouts uniform for him. Dr. Gibbs joined the fencing team in his high school and continued to partake in that at Georgia Tech. He also joined the rifle team at Georgia Tech. He was able to get an after-school job to bring in a little extra income. In his free time, Dr. Gibbs would go to the movies in Little Five Points or take violin lessons. He also would go to Spiller Field to watch baseball when he got a chance. Dr. Gibbs was a boy scout until he was about 16. He made Eagle Scout. Once his troupe won a two week trip to Bert Adams Boy Scout Camp. Dr. Gibbs stayed for two extra weeks in-between the two weeks the rest of the troupe stayed and helped out with a few programs. Dr. Gibbs was in the accelerated program in high school and was supposed to graduate a year early, but he fell ill for two weeks and had to drop the program. Dr. Gibbs joined the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps and enjoyed learning the drills. He was also very involved in Druid Hills Baptist Church. Once he got into Tech, his friend’s parents would drive him since he didn’t have a car and lived at home. He came into Tech as an electrical engineer but switched after his freshman chemistry course. Dr. Gibbs joined the Naval Reserve Officers Training at Tech because he was more interested in the Navy than the Army. On Saturdays, Dr. Gibbs would work for Highland Bakery as an assistant to the delivery carriage driver. During his sophomore year, Dr. Gibbs received a few scholarships and took part in the work studies program to help pay for college. The only course he ever failed was integral calculus, but he took it over the summer and made an A in it. Many of the buildings were brand new at the time, including the gymnasium, which was where everyone registered and graduated. He would have his NROTC classes in the naval armory. Dr. Gibbs continued taking French at Tech because that’s what he took in high school, but when he switched to chemical engineering, he was required to also take German. He dated his high school sweetheart all throughout college and married her after he had been in the Navy for a year. Dr. Gibbs graduated early June and already had a job lined up in Memphis, TN with DuPont. He worked in a laboratory making materials for big guns. After two months, he was called to the Navy, but DuPont tried to arrange it so he could stay. After the second notice came, he decided not to fight it and enlisted. He went to Charleston, SC where he received basic training. He was then called down to Panama to join the USS Barry. Dr. Gibbs first wartime experience was after the attack on Pearl Harbor when all five destroyers in their segment sailed out to build a barrier to protect the Panama Canal. Afterwards they had to escort merchant ships to protect them from German submarines. After a year, he volunteered to go to submarines. He attended submarine school in New London, Connecticut. His first submarine order was to the USS O-3. Despite only being a Lieutenant, he next served as commander of the S-11 which made him the youngest submarine commander. They traveled around the Pacific and finally got radar and a qualified operator. Thanks to the radar, they were able to safely make it back to New London despite the bad weather. He left the S-11 and went to Guam to await assignment to another submarine. While there, World War II ended. He went to Japan to assist in destroying the surviving submarines there. He was finally discharged and moved back to Atlanta where he became commanding officer for a naval reserve unit. Dr. Gibbs attended Emory Medical School where he graduated and took up a residency at the VA Hospital then Grady and finally Georgia Baptist Hospital. By the time he finished medical school, Dr. Gibbs had two kids, a son and daughter. He went into a private practice with one of his classmates and opened an office in Decatur, GA. He also worked out of Emory Hospital and Georgia Baptist for 8 years until DeKalb County Hospital was built. Dr. Gibbs left his practice in 1985. Afterwards, he and his wife moved to Hartwell where he semi-volunteered at a clinic. Around the year 2000, he and his wife moved back to Decatur, and he worked as a volunteer in the hospital until back troubles forced him into full retirement. At the time of the interview, his wife was living with Alzheimer’s disease, his son had retired after working for the Boy Scouts, and his daughter was working as director of the library at DeKalb County Hospital.