Now retired from his business, Gibson volunteers at the soup kitchen hosted by St. When asked how he felt about being mayor, Gibson replied, “It was a good feeling to sit back and make things happen.” “The people of Freehold Borough did not want that,” he said. He recalled trying to secure funds to help build up the town with an urban renewal plan, but the plan included tearing down many buildings, according to Gibson. Gibson, a 1942 graduate of the University of Notre Dame, said Freehold was “hurting” when he took office in the early 1960s. He was a member of the Freehold Fire Department, grand knight of the Knights of Columbus, Freehold, and exalted ruler of the Freehold Elks Lodge No. Gibson Plumbing and Mechanical Contractors, Throckmorton Street. He served as mayor from 1961 to 1967 after serving for 10 years as president of the Freehold Regional Board of Education. Gibson, who will turn 90 this year, has lived in the borough all his life. Looking at the photo of the five mayors - Wilson, Kane, Frank Gibson, John Dawes and William Boyle - one sees the continuity of community pride and respect, passed from one person who cared deeply about his town to another. People reading the Declaration of Independence on the steps of Borough Hall? This is Smalltown America.” Referring to the event as a Norman Rockwell image, Kane said, “There’s nothing more American than this. The five men gathered to pose for a picture on a day they said was one of the most important dates in American history. Kane was one of four former mayors who, along with Freehold Borough’s current Mayor Michael Wilson, appeared on the steps of Borough Hall on July Fourth following a public reading of the Declaration of Independence. FREEHOLD - Smalltown America has a name, according to Roger Kane - and it is Freehold Borough. They are (l-r) John Dawes, Bill Boyle, Michael Wilson, Frank Gibson and Roger Kane. GLENN CASHION Freehold Borough’s living mayors gathered on the steps of Borough Hall on July Fourth following the annual public reading of the Declaration of Independence.
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