Home > Articles > Gibson: Be a Catalyst for Change

Gibson: Be a Catalyst for Change

From: East Polk Lifestyles - Winter 2006

Live oaks grow strong and their roots run deep in Central Florida. So it's no surprise that civil trial lawyer Robin Gibson of Lake Wales was attracted by them when he first moved here in 1966.

"I'd had enough saltwater and palm trees," says Gibson, 69, who lived most of his early years in Miami. "I was looking for a small town, rolling hills, lakes and oak trees."

That's exactly what he found when he and his wife, Jean, chose the small town on Florida's ridge. They built a home on a hill overlooking Lake Wailes, firmly set their roots in the soil of the Ridge and raised four children.

"I had moved around a lot in my past," says Gibson, the son of a Pan American pilot. "But I value people like Jimmy Carter, who went back to his hometown."

The University of Florida Law School graduate joined the law firm of Woolfolk, Myers, Curtis, Newman and Craig in Lake Wales.

"And I've worked hard to be a good lawyer," says Gibson, now a partner in Gibson and Valenti in downtown Lake Wales. "Some of the people I have opposed (in court) are my best friends. I respect them and they respect me."

Last year, Gibson was named one of Florida's Legal Elite (top 6 percent in the state) by Florida Trend Magazine.

"Aside from my family, I am most proud of my law practice," he says. "And I have no plans to retire."

Retirement would also be out of the question from the standpoint of his service to the community. Gibson is a chairman of the board of trustees for the Lake Wales Charter Schools; chairman of the Capital Fund Campaign at the Lake Wales Arts Center; and a faculty member for the American College of Trial Lawyers.

A close friend of Sen. Bob Graham, Gibson served as general counsel to the governor in 1979, was campaign manager for then-U.S. Sen. Lawton Chiles in the mid-1970s and was chairman of the Board of Regents for the state university system. He was also a member of the Federal Judicial Nominating Commission in Florida; a member of the board of directors of the University of Florida Foundation; and a member and chairman of the Dean's Developmental Council for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at UF.

Locally, he has served as chairman of the Lake Wales Downtown Inc.; a member of the Community Redevelopment Agency in Lake Wales; and a member of the board of governors at the Polk Museum of Art in lakeland.

Known as a leader with a deep sense of responsibility and an obligation to his community, Gibson says he has a habit of driving past something and noticing that it could be improved.

"Then I go past it again and know that I could make things better," he says. "Then I go past it again, realizing that, if it's not better, it's my own fault. And I know that sometimes a project just needs a catalyst."

Community leaders agree that there is no better catalyst than Gibson himself.

"He is one of the most trustworthy, competent and capable people I have ever worked with," says Lake Wales Charter School Vice Chariman Clinton Horne. "He is well-respected by his fellow lawyers and by people in the community. He can make something out of nothing or reduce complicated things to a level that others can comprehend."

The charter schools may be Gibson's most lasting legacy, having the greatest across-the-board benefit to the community he loves.

"Because great schools impact the economy, employment, the ability to attract quality employers and affect crime statistics and our general quality of life," he says. "The general populace is better equipped to solve personal and community problems if they are a product of great schools."

Gibson has been recognized for his service to community by local and state organizations. He received the distinguished service award of the Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges in 1987 and 1988; the distinguished alumnus award at UF in 1994; and was named Lake Wales' citizen of the year in 1974.

"I believe in putting down a deep tap root, he says, "knowing the people you live with and serving them well."

 Lawyer's Exchange:

The law firm of Gibson & Valenti publishes the Lawyer's Exchange, containing useful information for the benefit of the lawyers and judges of the Tenth Judicial Circuit.