Combine his deep voice, intellect and eye for “what a good fight is,” and there was no doubt Lester Gibson was in the room. That was the consensus among the crowd Saturday celebrating the longtime county commissioner and champion of the marginalized. Gibson, 73, died June 17 at his home.
“He was a gentle but resolute giant who loved people,” said the Rev. Michael Bell, from Fort Worth, a longtime friend and ally. “Time and time again, he would say words of truth that made us squirm in our seat. People would say, ‘Here comes Lester Gibson. I wonder what he wants now?’ How many here did he stand up for? He fought battles against unjust practices. He loved those on the edges, those whom society blamed for its problems.”
Friends, family and admirers gathered in the new Base multipurpose center on the Extraco fairgrounds, arriving in the presence of escort vehicles, lights flashing, from the McLennan County Sheriff’s Office and Bellmead Police Department. Gibson’s son, Travis, serves as Bellmead’s mayor.
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“He was us. He was a member of our tribe,” said Bell, speaking passionately in bringing the three-hour memorial service to a close.
The McLennan County honor guard was present throughout the service, and Sheriff Parnell McNamara escorted Gibson’s wife, Coque, to her seat.
Dignitaries and elected officials read resolutions honoring Gibson the family man, Vietnam War veteran, newspaper publisher, Waco city council member, Baylor University graduate and 28-year county commissioner. He was the third African American member of the McLennan County Commissioners Court, though the first elected to the Precinct 2 post, according to a statement the county released after his death.
Gibson suffered poor health in recent years and retired Dec. 31, 2018, as the longest-serving commissioner in McLennan County history, according to the statement.
Waco Mayor Dillon Meek said Gibson advocated for civil rights, was “respected and revered,” and pushed for greater minority hiring in county government. His passion for community involvement included Gibson’s founding of The Grass Roots News and The Bottom Line News, Meek said. Other speakers said these voices evolved into family affairs, with nearly all members of the Gibson household engaged in writing, printing and delivering copies.
Gibson, working with other community activists, organized what would become a regular luncheon where elected officials, business leaders and academics would talk about issues and field questions from attendees.
Lea Ann Edwards, wife of former U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, spoke on behalf of her husband whose absence she blamed on a positive COVID-19 test.
“He always called Lester by his first name,” Edwards said of her husband. “He would say, ‘What a voice,’ the voice of God and a heart of gold. He inspired and prodded and made us better. He was around when there were whites-only water fountains, and when blacks were not welcome at Baylor University or any other major university.
“When he hung up his Navy uniform, he became a civil rights trailblazer, and we’ve all been blessed. He didn’t wear religion on his sleeve. He lived it. His lesson was not about loving the country or leaving it, but making it all that it could be for everyone.”
Longtime Dallas County Commissioner Ray Wiley Price, a controversial figure who led civil rights protests in the 1980s and 1990s, said, “Most of us don’t know what a good fight is. Lester knew what a good fight was.”
He lauded Gibson’s role in founding the Texas Organization of Black County Commissioners, an organization to ensure “we are not ignored.”
The Texas NAACP last week passed a resolution honoring Gibson.
McLennan County Judge Scott Felton said Gibson had a “dynamic and awe-inspiring personality,” and that holding his memorial service in the Base was fitting. He said Gibson supported putting a new roof on the old Heart O’ Texas Coliseum when Baylor University played its basketball games there. The facility was deteriorating to the point games were being rained out.
Felton said Gibson’s fundraising efforts proved critical, setting the stage for future improvements to the fairgrounds.
Precinct 2 Commissioner Patricia Miller succeeded Gibson, having served as his longtime assistant at the McLennan County Courthouse.
“He could get frustrated and angry, but I never saw him quit,” Miller said. “He was an artful negotiator and compromiser, and he was a person who wanted McLennan County to be what it could be. I think we’re getting there.”
Coque Gibson lightened the mood with stories about how this young man from Teague relentlessly courted her, even showing up unexpectedly at a movie theater, following her every move, then asking and receiving her permission to sit next to her. Coque was a teenager at the time, but Lester’s charms were not lost on her. Gibson was cute and polite, even asking Coque’s father, a minister, for permission to visit his daughter.
She said that permission was granted, and the couple married on Christmas Eve 1969. They have four children and 12 grandchildren.