Fred Gibson, Jr., Harvey Whittemore, David Loeb honored with President's Medal

Longtime Nevada business leader Fred Gibson, Jr., of Las Vegas, and Harvey Whittemore and the late David Loeb, founders of Wingfield Springs' Red Hawk Golf Club in Sparks, Nev., have received the Desert Research Institute's President's Medals for their outstanding support of the institute. The medals, awarded as part of the institute's annual Nevada Medal awards ceremonies each spring, are presented by DRI as its highest civic acknowledgment in lieu of traditional honorary doctorates.

In presenting the award, DRI President Dr. Stephen G. Wells noted that Gibson, a founding trustee of the DRI Research Foundation in the 1980s and currently a foundation board member, has provided "extraordinary service" as an advisor to several DRI presidents and as a leading advocate for the institute in business and government circles. Gibson, who recently retired as chairman, president and CEO at American Pacific Corp., currently serves on the Nevada Commission on Economic Development and as chairman of the State of Nevada Commission on Mineral Resources. He serves on numerous other public and civic boards in Nevada.

Wells also cited Red Hawk Golf Club's "value-added" role in supporting the institute's annual fund raising golf tournament "beyond the level expected in a client-customer relationship." He said the development's environmental ethic, symbolized by its recognition as Nevada 's first Audubon International Signature Sanctuary—one of only 35 in the world—reflected the leadership values of financial industry magnate Loeb and Nevada attorney and legislative lobbyist Whittemore. Whittemore, a shareholder in the statewide law firm of Lionel, Sawyer & Collins, capped his acceptance at the March 9 Nevada Medal awards dinner with a surprise $25,000 donation to the DRI Research Foundation, in memory of Loeb.