CHARLES W. GIBBINGS

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CHARLES W. GIBBINGS 1916 - 2009 Charles W. Gibbings passed away peacefully in Kelowna, BC, on August 1, 2009 shortly before his 93rd birthday. Charlie was born in Rosetown, SK, on August 10, 1916. He attended the University of Saskatchewan, where he attained a degree in Agriculture. He taught at the college of Agriculture, while continuing to farm. In 1946, he became a delegate to the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool (now Viterra), becoming its first Saskatchewan-born President in 1960. He worked diligently to strengthen the management team of the Pool, hiring its first general manager and insisting on management and accounting experience in senior staff. He created the Farm Services Division, in which agrologists worked directly with farmers, an innovation in the grain handling business. In 1969 Charlie moved to Winnipeg to take a position as Commissioner of the Canadian Wheat Board, participating in the first sales of Canadian grain to China and Taiwan. Charlie was a Commissioner of the Royal Commission on Agriculture and Rural Life, and in addition to other honors, he received an LLD from the University of Saskatchewan, was a Fellow of the Agricultural Institute of Canada, and a member of both the Saskatchewan and Canadian Agricultural Halls of Fame. Charlie is survived by his wife Kay; his sister Blanche Moxley; by his children: Gwen Randall (Tom Knott), Wes (Debra Semeniuk), Robert (Kate), Liz (Milo Fink) and Rod (Roxanne); his 11 grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. Interment will take place in Kelowna, BC and in lieu of floral tributes, the family asks that you make a donation to the charity of your choice.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Sep 12, 2009