Distinguished R-MC Alumnus Honored For Contributions to Society

President Lindgren and Board of Trustee member Robin Anne Floyd congratulate Dr. Gibbons

Randolph-Macon College’s Society of Alumni celebrated the work of Dr. John H. Gibbons ’49 by awarding him the Distinguished Alumnus Award during a reception at the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland on Tuesday, February 5, 2008. The award was presented by Board of Trustee member Robin Anne Floyd ’85 and President Robert Lindgren. Frank Murphy, chair of the R-MC Parents Association, served as emcee for the evening.

Dr. Gibbons is internationally respected for his contributions to physics, energy, the environment, technology and public policy. He served as the chief advisor to the President of the United States on matters of science and technology from 1993-1998. As senior advisor to the U.S. Department of State, he assisted the Secretary of State in revitalizing science and technology capabilities. He also served as head of the U.S. congressional office of technology assessment, advising congressional committees on issues involving science and technology on society. In December 2007 he was appointed by Virginia Governor Tim Kaine to the newly created Commission on Climate Change, whose main goal is to significantly reduce emissions in Virginia by 2025.

Gibbons’ professional career began at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, where he spent 20 years leading research in nuclear geophysics and astrophysics; he also directed its environmental program. In 1973, during the nation’s energy crisis, he was appointed as the first director of the Federal Office of Energy Conservation; there he initiated work on energy efficiency and directed public awareness programs about the need for energy conservation. From 1974-1979, Gibbons joined the faculty at the University of Tennessee where he taught physics and directed the university’s energy, environment and resources center. In 1998 he taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

In recognition of his contributions in science, technology and public service, Gibbons has received six honorary doctorates and many distinguished awards from within the United States and from the governments of France and Germany.

Gibbons is a 1949 graduate of Randolph-Macon College with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. He earned his Ph.D. in physics from Duke University in 1954.