In Memory of Mr. Terry Gibson

Remembering Terry Gibson
by Cathy Gibson-Fry

On September 26, 1997 the martial arts world lost one of the finest men they ever knew. Terry Gibson, who had been battling a brain tumor for 12 years, passed away at 2:50 p.m. that day. Terry was an inspiration to us, as a martial artist and a person. Martial arts were his passion and in 1986 he did what few people have the guts to do. He gave up his law practice of 7 years; with it's monetary advantages and prestige, to follow his dreams and opened his first, full time martial arts academy.

As many of Terry's friends knew, Terry suffered from seizures. Although these bouts left him tired, weak and sometimes disoriented, he would pick himself up and continue as best he could. I cannot count the times he would be teaching class and would have to leave the floor to have a seizure, sometimes 2 or 3 a night, just to return to his class 5 or 10 minutes later to finish it up. Terry told one of his students once that because of the effects from the cancer he would never be able to be the best fighter but he wanted to be the best instructor that he could be. I believe that anyone who was lucky enough to train under Terry realized the amount of effort he put into perfecting his teaching skills. But even more than teaching, Terry loved to train. He had a thirst for knowledge that few of us can understand, it was all consuming. For that reason, Terry took several trips a year to Los Angeles, CA. to train with his instructors, Guro Dan Inosanto, Ajarn Chai Sirisute and Pak Herman Suwanda.

When his instructors were giving seminars within driving distance from his home in Tulsa, Terry would make the trip to see them and even traveled to Indonesia to participate in training camp with Pak Herman. Terry kept up his training through seizures and 2 years of chemotherapy, he was totally dedicated and it showed in his many accomplishments and certifications. He was a Full Instructor in the Filipino Martial Arts and Jun Fun Gung Fu under Guro Dan Inosanto. He had his beginning certificate under Ajarn Chai Sirisute and was the director for the South Central Region in the Thai Boxing Association of the USA. He had recently acquired his teaching certificate under Pak Herman Suwanda in Mande Muda Pencak Silat. Those of us who were lucky enough to call Terry our friend know what an exceptional person he was. Always open, willing to make new friends and the first person to give you a big hug.

Terry will be greatly missed in a world where he stood for the things he believed in, the things we all want to believe in. Loyalty, honesty, friendship, hard work, being true to yourself, kindness, generosity and love. Terry is survived by his wife Kathy, his parents Harold and Ruth Gibson, 1 brother, 3 sisters and many aunts, uncles, nephews, and friends. He will be sadly missed by all.

"If people bring so much courage to this world the world has to kill them to break them, so of course it kills them...It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially. If you are none of these you can be sure that it will kill you too but there will be no special hurry." -Ernest Hemingway - A Farewell to Arms.

How Can You Measure the Value of a Man?

The measure of a man is not found in the
things he owns or what he's saved for retirement or even his accomplishments.

The true measure of a man is found
in his faith and his heart.

It's found in the friends who stand by him,
the strength he displays under pressure,
the sensitivity he unashamedly expresses,
and his willingness to reveal vulnerability,
even at the risk of being hurt.

And it's found in truth of his word,
the genuineness of his life, his unselfish actions, and the values he lives by.

Determine the measure of a man not by admiring his trophies nor by comparing him
to other men weaker or stronger.

Determine the measure of a man by how much you trust him and believe in him, and
by how much his live enhances yours.

In Loving Memory of my Sifu....
Terry H. Gibson

And with deep love and respect for Cathy Gibson-Fry.

Hey, Khun Kru Sam. I started with Ajarn Chai in 1979. I had no idea who he was, but he caught my eye because he was wearing a dirty yellow down jacket zipped up to the neck on a 100 degree day. He was putting up fliers for his class, and I walked up to him and asked, "Hey, do you know anything about that Karate class?" Well, that was the start of a life long friendship.

Your teacher, Terry, was from my generation. I went to four or five of the early Thai camps with him. He embodied a lot of things I value most highly in a martial artist. He didn't always talk much, but when he did it was something worth listening to. I remember sitting in the shade with Terry and Greg nelson watching the newcomers on the first day of the second Thai camp. The new guys were showing off, dancing around and trying to impress each other with their athletic prowess. Terry sighed and adjusted the baseball cap covering his face as he leaned back in his recliner and said out of the corner of his mouth, "That will last about a day." Sure enough, he was right.

Terry faced his cancer with an enormous amount of courage and grace. I remember sitting with him under the stars with Ajarn Chai, his sisters and four or five of his older students. "Sure, it scares the hell out of me," he admitted. But he always find a way to see something positive, some wisdom to be learned, even in the darkest hour. You know, Sam, Terry Gibson understood that Muay Thai runs much deeper than kicking and Thai pads. He got it. I think you're lucky to have had him for an instructor....

Regards,

Terry Tippie

See www.ThaiBoxing.com for TBA newsletters and more articles on Khun Khru Terry H. Gibson.

STUDENT CREED

I WILL STRIVE TO DEVELOP MYSELF IN A POSITIVE MANNER.

I WILL USE WHAT I LEARN AT THIS ACADEMY CONSTRUCTIVELY AND DEFENSIVELY. I WILL ACT WITH COURTESY AND RESPECT AT ALL TIMES.

I WILL REMEMBER THAT THE GOALS OF THIS ACADEMY ARE TO DEVELOP MYSELF PHYSICALLY, MENTALLY, EMOTIONALLY, AND SPIRITUALLY USING THE MARTIAL ARTS AS A WAY TO ACHIEVE THESE GOALS.

OUT OF RESPECT AND HONOR FOR KHUEN KHRU TERRY H. GIBSON
WE CARRY ON HIS STUDENT CREED.

From Quest Magazine February 1994 Issue

Cartoons by Tim Frayser from Quest Magazine