Gibson
Orville Gibson founded the company in 1902 as the "Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Mfg. Co. Ltd." in Kalamazoo, Michigan, to make mandolin-family instruments. Gibson invented archtop guitars by constructing the same type of carved, arched tops used on violins. By the 1930s, the company was also making flattop acoustic guitars, as well as one of the first commercially available hollow-body electric guitars, used and popularized by Charlie Christian. In 1944, Gibson was bought by Chicago Musical Instruments (CMI), which was acquired in 1969 by Panama-based conglomerate Ecuadorian Company Limited (ECL), that changed its name in the same year to Norlin Corporation. Gibson was owned by Norlin Corporation from 1969 to 1986. In 1986, the company was acquired by a group led by Henry Juszkiewicz and David H. Berryman.
William H. Gibson (educator)
In the 1880s he was president of the Louisville Colored Musical Association. He was involved in freemasonry and taught Sunday Schools at Louisville Methodist Churches. He attended numerous state Republican Conventions and sought elected office several times, but was never successful. He was a co-founder of the United Brothers of Friendship based in Louisville in 1876 and served as its grand master. He was also a founder or leader of a number of Louisville culture organizations including the Mozart Society, the black YMCA, the Colored Orphans' Home, and the Louisville Colored Cemetery Company. He also was leader of the Quinn Chapel AME Church Choir for more than 35 years and occasionally composed songs for it and for other musical societies of which he was a part. He served several years as trustee of Wilberforce University. In 1883 he was elected president of the local Mutual Aid Association and served three years. In 1897 he wrote "History of the United brothers of friendship and Sisters of the mysterious ten".