A large collection of rocks and minerals, gathered by a Burlington man from 1949-1989, has been donated to Elon University by the owner of a local catering company.
Paul Huey, owner of Huey’s Catering, donated the Occo and Mary Gibbs Mineral Collection to the university for display in the McMichael science building. A reception honoring the Gibbs and Huey will be held at 10 a.m., Wednesday, May 15 on the second floor of McMichael.
Occo Gibbs took up rock collecting in his spare time after his service as a Navy combat pilot in World War II. He collected a wide variety of rocks and minerals from 20 states and 4 countries, including large and small geodes and fossilized remains.
Occo Gibbs, who retired after 29 years of service with Westen Electric Co., in Burlington, sold the collection to Huey’s restaurant, M.C. and Friends, for display in 1989. When the restaurant closed due to highway construction, Huey donated the collection to Elon.