Jesse Harry Gibson, Jr., age 80, of Durham, NC, transitioned into eternal rest on Thursday, November 3rd at the Brian Center Southpoint in Durham, NC. The son of the late Jesse Harry Gibson, Sr. and the late Mary Allene Beasley Gibson was born on September 28, 1942 in Asheville, NC.
Jesse attended elementary and junior high schools in the Mars Hill community of Asheville, NC and graduated from Stephens-Lee High School in Asheville in 1960. While there, Jesse excelled as a football athlete and took his football skills to Livingstone College in Salisbury, NC. There he was also active in the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. Jesse graduated from Livingstone in June 1964 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He remained an active member of the Stephens-Lee Alumni Association and the Durham Chapter of the Livingstone College National Alumni Association.
Jesse attending Livingstone College, would meet Dorothy (Dot) Carolyn LeGrand, who he married on November 28, 1964. To their union, two sons were born - Maurice Juanua Gibson in 1965 and Vaughan Kobie Gibson in 1972.
Jesse and Dot would make Durham, North Carolina their home and here they worked and raised their family. Jesse began his career as a social worker for the state of North Carolina, and in 1970 he earned a Master of Social Work degree from the University of North Carolina. After leaving employment with the State of North Carolina, he served as counselor at Phillips Middle School for many years until his retirement, where he was also a dedicated football and track coach. During this time, in 1992, Jesse earned his Master of Arts in Education from North Carolina Central University.
Jesse’s love of family and his social activism are the legacy he leaves behind. He took great pride in sharing family history from their origins in Saluda, South Carolina and he curated extensive genealogical work on the Gibson and Beasley family branches. Jesse was torchbearer for what is still enjoyed as the Gibson/Dozier Family Reunion. More importantly, he loved spending time with his sons and their families. It was not unusual for Jesse to travel a distance to attend a game or an event that featured one of his grandchildren, his niece or his nephew. His voice and his physical presence in our lives will be greatly missed. But what he poured into all of us will live on.
Jesse, like his father before him, was committed to making life better for the common person. Hence, his dedication to advocacy for political, educational, social, economic and criminal justice in the local community, statewide, nationwide and around the world was reflected in his activities and memberships. Jesse was an active lifetime member of the NAACP and served in different roles in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro branch, most recently as Executive Committee Member At-Large (2019), Criminal Justice Committee co-chair and the Labor Committee co-chair. Jesse was awarded the James Brittain Award in recognition of outstanding service provided to the local NAACP branch as Chapter Treasurer (2007). Other active memberships included the North Carolina A. Philip Randolph Institute, District 1 Partners Against Crime, Chapel Hill Criminal Justice Debt Program Advocacy Committee, and the North Carolina Commission on Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Criminal Justice System. Jesse was a long-time charitable supporter of the North Carolina Food Bank, Shriners Children’s Hospital and St. Jude’s Research Hospital for Children.
Jesse was preceded in death by his parents, Jesse Harry Gibson, Sr. and Mary Gibson.
His legacy lives on through his sons, Maurice (Karla) and Vaughan (Tonya) and his grandchildren, Cameron, Cole (Lauren), Olivia, Jabriel and Mikari. He also leaves to cherish his memory his sister, Melba Richardson (Walter) of Riverdale, GA; niece, Danielle Strickland, nephew, Chase Strickland; and a host of in-laws, cousins, nieces, nephews, other family, and friends.
In lieu of flowers please make a donation to North Carolina Food Bank, Shriners Children’s Hospital or St. Jude’s Research Hospital for Children. These organizations that were near and dear to Jesse's heart.