University of Virginia Library

Larry Gibson

'Biased' About Baltimore, Twixt

Profile

By ROSS HETRICK

A staunch supporter of
public education and a master
Twixt player, Prof. Larry S.
Gibson of Baltimore, is in his
first year as visiting professor
at the University's Law School.

"Baltimore," Mr. Gibson
says, "is the most northern
southern city and the most
southern northern city. Yes, a
schizophrenic sort of city,
which is its charm. You see
some very progressive
developments in Baltimore,
and at the same time it has a
small town atmosphere, a
certain closeness, which is not
characteristic of a city its size.
Of course I'm a little biased:
Baltimore's home."

Mr. Gibson spends half of
his time in Charlottesville and
the other half in Baltimore. He
is also a member of the
Baltimore School Board and is
a member of the Budget and
Finance committee of the
school system.

Recently, though, Mr.
Gibson has been criticized by
Baltimore City Councilman R.
Emerson Julian, who believes
Mr. Gibson should resign since
he lives in Charlottesville. Mr.
Gibson pointed out that he had
never missed a school board
meeting in the five years he has
been a member and that he is,
and has always been, a
permanent resident of
Baltimore.

He says the main problems
that schools face are financial.
"My major concern is that of
shrinking financial
commitments and many
demands being made on
ever-shrinking resources. I
think we have generally
capable people and they aren't
given the means to do the job."

Desegregation Problem

Mr. Gibson believes that
unless the public recognizes the
problem and decides to
appropriate sufficient money,
there will continue to be this
"great waste of human
resources."

He sees the Baltimore
school system beset by some
very tough problems
concerning school desegregation.
"For the last five years that I
have been on the board,
Baltimore, like most major
cities has had an increasing
percentage of black students in
the public school system. Now
Baltimore's school system is 75
per cent black. That in itself
creates problems."

However, Mr. Gibson finds
hope in Baltimore's unique
open enrollment policy.
"Under this policy, any junior
high school or high school
student can attend any school
he wishes in Baltimore,
without regard to where he
lives."

'Friendlier School'

Mr. Gibson attended
Howard University in
Washington, D.C. and
Columbia Law School in New
York.

CD/Saxon Holt

"Columbia is a much more competitive school. This is a friendlier school."

At the University's Law
School, "You don't have
professors delivering the last
part of their lecture as they run
out of the door to get into their
chauffeured limousine to go to
their office on Wall St.
Columbia is a much more
competitive school. This is a
friendlier school," Mr. Gibson
said.

As far as Washington goes,
he concedes it has a "lot of
nice restaurants, but he did not
like the absence of home rule.
"There is a certain feeling of
helplessness."

Before coming to
Charlottesville, Mr. Gibson was
a partner in the Law firm of
Josey, Gibson, Allen and
Mitchell. One of his cases
involved the defense of a
member of the Black Panther
party who was suspected of
murder. The defendant was
eventually acquitted.

"I miss the competitive part
of law practice," the young
professor said. "There is
somewhat of a substitute for
that in the class room
atmosphere but Its not a real
substitute for the courtroom
practice, I am adjusting to it I
believe. One thing about
teaching is that I have much
more time to think about
things and read books. A law
practice is just plain hard
work."