The Life of Robert Emerson Gibson

To Mesa by 8:00 a.m. for a Division Council Meeting.  This is the beginning of a 8-day Division Convention.  Each year for several years we have met together, all Seminary and institute men together with our wives.  We have had some real good occasions together.  Marian would have gone up with me, but she felt she needed to stay and given Mom Nelson her shot and prepare breakfast for them.  So I arranged for her to come up later with Ron & Ruby Nielsen.  So I left at 5:30. I drove the new (last October) Datsun pickup, as usual.  Our Division Council is composed of Keith Crockett, Division Coordinator, Earnest M. Skinner, Central Arizona District Coordinator, David M. Willmore, Northern Arizona District Coordinator, and myself-Southern Arizona District.  Alan Nielsen, Coordinator of the New Mexico Division was there with us today.  Our agenda covered the range of activities of the Division.  We were joined at 11:30 by Dan Workman, our area administrator.  There is a great deal of undercurrent right no in our Council over who should do what, and who should be doing anything.  I won’t describe it.  But part of Dan’s visit is to straighten us out.  He didn’t do it.  I will say this much: he said I was going to stay put-in Tucson.  He said the department leaders are satisfied with my work as a coordinator, but that they see me as continuing here.  I do have some aspirations to lead a division.  Perhaps that’s not a worthy goal!  But I do have that desire, and I’m 49.  I know in this young department that if I don’t receive that assignment soon, I won’t receive it at all because of my age.  But probably some other factors weigh even more heavily.  Anyway, it may be a little unrighteous—aspiring to a position.  I don’t now.  But I’ve been here as a district coordinator for 10 years now-come August.  Perhaps that’s as far as I go.  I am very satisfied in my assignment, as well as in my location.  A person couldn’t ask for a better job; working for the Lord in His business of instructing the youth of the Church.  And the place: Southern Arizona is surely home to me and my family.  Anyway, I’ve advised the personnel leaders of my desires.  I think they have dismissed them.  After the council meeting I checked into the motel-the Vagabond in Tempe.  Our meetings begin at 2:00.  Primarily, we began by having some introductory remarks from Keith, then we were instructed by Dan Workman.  Then we spent the rest of the afternoon in 2 workshops--one led by Wendel Johnson—personnel specialist—on husband-wife relations, and one led by Lee Miller and Jeff Holland on teaching with the scriptures.  Marian arrives late-she hates that.  But her fellow travelers were very late getting started.  We had a dinner at the ASU Student Union building.  It was a buffet, then a Joyful Noise, the _____ Institute choir performed.  Following the banquet Bro. Jeff Holland, Church Commissioner of Education, was the speaker at the Institute speaker series.  Marian and I didn’t go to it.  We went back to the motel, & K and Joy came over to visit us until late.  The subject of discussion was, naturally, Mom & Dad Nelson.