U.S. Congressman Jim Gibbons - Class of 1962

Jim Gibbons, a native of Sparks, Nevada, was born on December 16, 1944. He attended various public schools in Sparks and graduated from Sparks High School in 1962. In 1967, he earned his Bachelors’ Degrees in Geology and Mining at the University of Nevada in Reno. He later received his Juris Doctor degree from Southwestern University School of Law.

            Mr. Gibbons was a commercial pilot. From 1987 through 1997 he was a captain for Delta Airlines. Between 1979 and 1997 he was also a pilot for Western Airlines, then retiring from the commercial airline arena. He is a former combat pilot and veteran of both the Vietnam and Persian Gulf Wars. He served in the United States Air Force from 1967 to 1971 as a captain, and is a graduate of the United States Air Force Air Command and Staff College, as well as the Air War College.

            Mr. Gibbons holds the rank of Colonel. He joined the Nevada Air Guard in 1975 through 1991. Throughout his military service, he received 19 service medals, including: the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, Two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Aerial Achievement Medal and the Air Force Commendation Medal.

            Gibbons was elected to the Nevada State Assembly in 1988 and served three terms there. He was elected to congress from Nevada’s Second Congressional District in 1996 and serves on the Select Committee on Intelligence, the Committee on Resources and the Committee on National Security. He currently holds the office of the United States House of Representatives.

            In addition, his community organizational memberships include: American Association of Petroleum Landsmen, Advisory Board Member - Committee to Aid Abused Women, Member - National Conference Board, Nevada Bar Association, Board of Directors - Nevada Council on Economic Education, Nevada Landman’s Association, Reno Board of Realtors, and the University of Nevada Alumni Association.

Congressman Gibbons resides in Reno with his wife, Dawn, sons Christopher and Jimmy, and daughter, Jennifer.

Inducted 2002.