Edward ("Ed") Lanphier Gibbs passed away on November 4, 2024.
Among longtime colleagues in the preowned medical equipment industry, Ed will be remembered as a trailblazer and an innovator. Here, Don Bogutski and Philip Jacobus share their recollections:
Don Bogutski:
Ed Gibbs has left us. Let’s remember his accomplishments, great sense of humor and Ed as a pioneer of the preowned medical equipment industry.
Ed was a founding member of IAMERS and gave generously of his time to the Association. He took the lead in heading the Ethics Committee early in the Association’s life. He later served as Vice President of IAMERS from 1998 -2000. Ed was a long time liaison for IAMERS with the FDA, where his shared love of railroading was instrumental in taking what could have been an arms length relationship and turning it into a warm, close, friendship. This delivered enormous benefits to IAMERS and our members.
Ed with IAMERS president, Diana Upton
On a personal level; I observed in Ed many of the funny, outsized characteristics and mannerisms of Oscar Madison, the lead character in Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple. He so resembled Walter Matthau’s portrayal that I took to calling him Oscar. Ed never seemed to mind the comparison.
A noticeable trait was Ed’s fondness of over the road driving. On more than a few occasions Ed would call in the morning to describe some accessory, or small system that he had been paid to scrap. If you showed interest, Ed would arrive late afternoon, early evening with the equipment in the bed of his pickup truck, having driven all the way from Cleveland.
Ed was one of a kind. Fondly to be remembered, never to be duplicated.
Rest in peace, friend. Thanks for many wonderful memories.
Philip Jacobus:
When I started buying and selling used medical equipment in the late 70s, Ed Gibbs was one of the first people I came in contact with. At the time he had a special relationship with the Cleveland Clinic and he focused on dental equipment.
In those days, my wife Barbara was working with me, much to her chagrin, but one highlight was visiting with Ed on the phone. He was always friendly and upbeat. He made everybody feel good.
Ed went on to do more than just dental equipment. As time went on he dealt with just about every piece of used equipment you can put your hands on, because he was a sort of guy who could dismantle just about anything. Of course, this was before CT scanners and MR machines.
I remember once selling Ed a B Scanner, (if you remember B Scanners you have grey hair!) It was made by Technicare and it took the two of us to get it on the back of his truck.
Ed always cared about making the industry a better place. He was a standup guy who paid his bills, and he never understood people who didn't pay their bills, and he wasn't afraid to say something to them about it.
Don Bogutski recruited Ed to help with IAMERS. Talk about the dynamic duo, when you got those two guys together clear the room!
I regret that I did not visit Ed in the end. There is a lesson there for all of us.
Ed's Obituary
Ed's obituary
can be found here, along with links to send flowers to his family or plant a tree in his memory.
Rest in peace, Ed.
