Gibbons, Donald Frank

July 23, 1926 – August 17, 2018
Age 92 of North Oaks. Passed away peacefully on the 17th of August in North Oaks. Born in Birmingham, England Don received a PhD in Metallurgy from Birmingham University. In 1950 he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship and together with his bride, June, sailed to America to take a post at the University of Chicago. Following on from Chicago, Don took a post teaching at the Royal Military College in Kingston Ontario, then as a research scientist at Bell Labs in New Jersey. In 1961 Don was appointed head of the Material Sciences Department at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland Ohio. While at Case Western Reserve he became fascinated by the factors determining compatibility between materials and biological processes which subsequently led to a move to Minnesota and 3M where during the 1980s and 90s he led ground breaking research into the development of materials for medical use. Don was a passionate believer in the importance of both arts and sciences. Throughout his career Don encouraged June to pursue her career as an actress and after moving to Minneapolis she became a member of the Guthrie Theatre company. Don was a valued colleague and friend and will be greatly missed by all who knew him. A celebration of his life will be held privately with friends and family. He is survived by his son Peter, daughter Kathryn, grandson Malik and great grandsons Evan and Erik. (Published in the Star Tribune on August 26, 2018).