*In this photo:* (L-r) Provost Tony Allen, Institutional Advancement VP Vita Pickrum, Douglas Gibson, DSU Acting President Wilma Mishoe, DSU Trustee John Allen and DSU alumna Reba Hollingsworth gather at a reception in honor of Mr. Gibson and his hand-carved duck art. Mr. Gibson donated 10 works to the University.

Partnerships & Collaborations, On Campus, DSU Impact, Alumni Affairs

Douglas Gibson honored by DSU

Tuesday, April 17, 2018

The lifetime of duck carving artistry of Douglas A. Gibson was celebrated during a well-attended April 12 reception in the DSU Arts Center/Gallery.

Mr. Gibson, a 1950 DSU alumnus, was honored amid an exhibition of his hand-carved waterfowl decoys – 10 of which he is permanently donating to the University. DSU Acting President Wilma Mishoe, Provost Tony Allen, Board of Trustees member John Allen and Institutional Advancement Vice President Vita Pickrum all spoke in honor of the 95-year-old artist during the event, which was attended by family and alumni.

A native of Trappe, Md., Mr. Gibson was introduced to the art by watching his father Samuel Gibson carve decoys for his hunting activities. While his father did not directly teach him the artform, the elder Gibson provided enough inspiration that helped lead his son to take it up later as an adult.

After serving in the Navy during World War II, Mr. Gibson used his G.I. Bill benefits to enroll at then-Delaware State College. One of his Del State professors was Dr. Luna I. Mishoe, who would go on to serve as the DSC president from 1960-1987 and whose daughter is the current DSU acting president. Mr. Gibson, shown with some of his works, has been an artistic carver of waterfowl decoys for more than 45 years.

In an interview for The Echo in 2014, Mr. Gibson noted that Dr. Mishoe was an outstanding math instructor. “You couldn’t play around with his classes,” he said. “If you got a ‘C’ in his class, you could probably get an A in your other classes.”

After earning a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Education from DSC, Mr. Gibson went on to serve 38 years as a teacher – 21 years at Delaware Technical Community College, 16 years in the Milford School District, and one year in Maryland. Along the way, he also earned a Master’s Degree in Public Administration.

It was during his tenure at Del Tech that Mr. Gibson began developing his duck artistry. Around 1970 he was teaching both day and night classes, and instead of driving home in between those class periods he began carving ducks in his school shop.

Over the last 45 years, Mr. Gibson estimates that he has produced more than 2,000 works. While he creates decoys of all species of ducks, most frequently he carves black mallards and brown mallards. The selling price for his decorative decoys average between $200-$500, while his most expansive piece – a white swan – sold for $1,700.

The 10 donated duck carvings will be kept permanently on display in the first floor of the William C. Jason Library.