Washington State University Libraries, Manuscripts, Archives and Special Collections
Cage 978
Gibson, Weldon B., 1917-2001
Weldon B. “Hoot” Gibson Papers
1938-2001
1 Linear feet of shelf space
2 Boxes
Materials written as memoirs includes Weldon B.
Gibson’s life in Schleicher County, Texas, as a student, and photos on his air force
mission to Europe. Materials also document Arthur “Buck” Bailey, longtime Washington
State College baseball coach, gathered during work on a book.
Collection materials are in English
Weldon B. "Hoot" Gibson (1917-2001) was raised in El Dorado, Texas. He
was encouraged to attend Washington State College (today Washington State
University) by his uncle, WSU baseball coach Arthur "Buck" Bailey. While at WSC,
Gibson played on the university football team, was in the ROTC, as well as a member
of the Crimson Circle and Beta Theta Pi. He received his B.A. in Business
Administration in 1938 before going on to Stanford University, earning an M.B.A. and
Ph.D. in International Economics, in 1940 and 1950 respectively. During World War
II, Gibson served in the United States Air Force and attained the rank of Colonel,
also becoming the Assistant Director of the U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology
in Dayton, Ohio.
Returning to WSU to serve as the founding chairman of the WSU Foundation, Gibson then
dedicated himself to fundraising endeavors for WSU and encouraged the advancement of
the institution on an international level. The WSU Foundation annually awards the
Weldon B. Gibson Distinguished Volunteer Award in honor of Dr. Gibson and his wife
Helen Mears Gibson's service to the university.
Arthur Buckner “Buck” Bailey was born in San Saba, TX in 1896, and
played college baseball at Texas A&M from 1916-1921.Interrupted by service in
World War I, and then at Bethany College, WV, Buck Bailey he coached high school
sports and played semi-pro ball in California after college where he met “Babe”
Hollingbery. When Hollingbery was offered the lead football coach position at the
State College of Washington (WSC) in 1926, Bailey accompanied him as an assistant
coach, and was offered the head baseball position in spring 1927. He remained in
that positon through the end of 1961 season, excepting three years during World War
II when WSC did not play baseball.
The collection includes Weldon B. “Hoot” Gibson’s memoirs on his coming to WSC/WSU
through his uncle Buck Bailey, including the social life on WSC/WSU campus in 1934.
Other folders center around the emergence of “party line” – a shared telephone
circuit connecting multiple subscribers, and correspondence on Gibson family history
in Schleicher County, Texas, later featured in a book by the Schleicher County
Historical Society. The collection also includes photos and documentation of Hoot on
his Air Force time in Europe. Also present is correspondence on Gibson’s Tai Ping
carpet donation to the WSU Foundation.
Materials include correspondence to and from several individuals involved in the Buck
Bailey book,
Buck Bailey: The Making of a Legend, including Fred
Bohm, Dick Fry, Bob Smawley, Keith Lincoln, and others. Included are working
outline, a chronology, and proposed book cover image. There also photos of Buck in
his baseball uniform, either coaching or playing, as well as a list of WSC baseball
lettermen from Buck’s era. The box also includes photo documentation of “Send a Hat
to Bailey” campaign organized by the Spokane Athletic Roundtable, and images from
the memorial Buck Bailey Day held in May 1961, honoring his contributions to WSC/WSU
athletics. Additionally, there are condolence letters and cards sent to Weldon B.
Gibson after the death of Buck and his wife, and a folder with information about the
Buck Bailey Memorial Scholarship Fund.
Series 1 contains six folders, most chapters from his unpublished autobiography, as
titled by Gibson. Folder 3, “Schleicher County History”, is material for family
histories from that county, published by that county. Folder 6, “What’s in a Name?”
contains cartoons and similar materials related to his nickname, “Hoot”.
Series 2 contains several folders of personal materials, including art by Hoot’s wife
Helen, and 8mm films from an Australia / New Zealand vacation. The 8mm films have
been digitized and are in MASC’s digital archives.
Series 3 consists of materials relating to Hoot’s book, Buck Bailey: The Making of a
Legend.
This material is broken into three series. Within each series, folders are ordered
alphabetically. Series 1 by chapter title; the other two by subject.
The 8mm films from Series 2 have been digitized and are in MASC’s digital
archives.
This collection is open and available for research use.
Copyright restrictions may apply.
[Item description]
Weldon B. “Hoot” Gibson Papers, 1938-2001 (Cage 978)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.
The materials were received by the Washington State University Libraries from the
Washington State University Foundation in 2006 (transfer, MS.2006.19) and from the
Gibson estate in 2007 (MS.2007.07).
Graduate student Uwakmfon John processed this collection in June 2025.
A folder of WSU Foundation materials was removed to the Washington State University Publications: WSU
Foundation (WSU 223) collection.
Buck Bailey Retirement Letters, 1961 (Cage 972)
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online
catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or
places should search the catalog using these headings.
Gibson, Weldon B., 1917-2001 -- Archives
Bailey, Arthur Buckner, 1896-1964
Gibson family
State College of Washington -- Students
State College of Washington -- Employees
Washington State University -- Employees
State College of Washington -- Sports
Coaches (Athletics) -- Washington (State)
College sports -- Washington (State)
Student Life
Sports and Recreation
Washington (State)
Colleges and Universities
Buck Bailey : The Making of a Legend. 1989
Series 1: Memoirs
1945-1989
1
1
Alma Mater.
1986
1
2
Pumpkin Vine.
1986 July-1987 January
1
3
Schleicher County History,
Texas.
1977 August-1988 May
1
4
Way Back Yonder.
1987
1
5
What’s in a Name.
undated
1
6
Wild Blue Yonder.
1945-1989
Series 2: Personal material.
1938-2001
1
7
Family history.
1992
1
8
Memorial.
2001
1
9-10
Photographs and slides.
1938-1990
1
11
Tai Ping Carpet donation.
1992 November-1994 July
1
12
Vacation films. 5 8 mm. reels.
circa 1968
1
13
Water color sketches by Helen
Gibson.
circa 1973
Series 3: Buck Bailey book
materials.
1951-1989
2
1
Bailey biography
correspondence.
1951-1961
2
2
Bailey book correspondence.
1985
2
3
Bailey book correspondence.
1988
2
4
Bailey book correspondence.
1989
2
5
Bailey condolences.
1964
2
6
Bailey Memorial Scholarship
Fund.
1964
2
7
Gibson – Bailey
correspondence.
1956-1964
2
8
Photographs: Baseball and
sports.
Undated
2
9
Photographs: Bailey and
others.
Undated
2
10
Photographs: retirement.
May 1961
2
11
WSC/WSU athletic honor rolls.
Undated