RESTON,
Va.,
December
13, 2005
―
Baseball
Hall of
Famer
Bob
Gibson
recently
offered
a
valuable
piece of
marriage
advice:
Take
your
spouse
on
frequent
recreation
vehicle
(RV)
vacations.
“One of
the
nicest
things
about
RVing is
my wife
actually
smiles
at me
when we
get
inside…
she’s
always
in a
good
mood in
our
motorhome,”
Gibson
said,
sharing
his
firsthand
experiences
with an
audience
of RV
industry
executives.
The
former
St.
Louis
Cardinal
pitcher
received
his
first RV
as a
retirement
gift
from the
team in
1975.
Gibson
and his
wife,
Wendy,
have
been on
the road
ever
since.
“I enjoy
the RV
world,”
said
Gibson.
“I will
have one
until
the day
I die.”
“[Team
owner]
August
Busch
asked
me,
‘What do
you want
when you
retire?
We want
to get
you
something
spectacular,’”
Gibson
recounted.
“Of
course,
I wanted
a
motorhome,”
revealed
Gibson,
regarded
as one
of
baseball’s
all-time
greats.
With
50,000
fans
watching,
Mr.
Busch
surprised
him by
driving
the
motorhome
right
into the
stadium,
Gibson
recalled.
The
couple
has
owned
seven
RVs over
the past
30
years,
including
their
current
Itasca
Horizon,
a
40-foot
Type A
motorhome.
Most of
their
RVs were
purchased
from RV
dealer
Bill
Thomas
of Bill
Thomas
Camper
Sales,
Wentzville,
Mo., who
has
become a
personal
friend.
The
Gibsons’
new RV
has all
the
comforts
of home,
including
a
kitchen,
bedroom,
bath and
living
room.
Among
the
state-of-the-art
amenities
in their
motorhome
are
ceramic-tiled
floors,
flat-screen
TVs,
surround-sound
CD and
DVD
players,
queen-size
bed,
satellite
TV and
radio,
and
rooms
that
expand
at the
push of
a button
to
create
extra
space.
Gibson,
who
resides
in
Omaha,
Neb.,
recounted
his
family’s
RV
travels
to such
locales
as
Albuquerque,
N.M.,
and the
Big Sur
in
California.
“We’ve
gone
from one
end of
the
country
to all
four
corners
by RV,”
Gibson
shared.
“It’s
been
really a
wonderful
life for
us.
We’ve
met a
lot of
very,
very
nice
people
along
the
way.”
“I’ve
had a
lot of
interesting
experiences
[on the
road].
RVing
teaches
you a
little
humility,”
acknowledged
Gibson,
sporting
a
relaxed
appearance,
fit and
younger-looking
than his
age.
Intimidating
and
dominating
on the
mound
during
his
16-year
career
with the
Cardinals,
Gibson
won two
Cy Young
Awards,
two
World
Series
MVP
awards,
nine
Gold
Gloves
and the
National
League
MVP
trophy
in 1968.
That
year’s
season-long
performance
is
frequently
referred
to as
the
greatest
ever by
a
pitcher.
He was
also
named a
member
of
baseball’s
All-Century
Team.
Gibson
made his
remarks
at a
November
29 award
ceremony
in
Louisville,
Ky.,
during
the
opening
breakfast
of the
43rd
Annual
National
RV Trade
Show,
the
industry’s
premier
business
event
sponsored
by
Recreation
Vehicle
Industry
Association
(RVIA).
Recognizing
him as
an
exemplary
representative
of the
traditional
American
values
inherent
to RV
travel,
industry
officials
honored
Gibson
with
RVIA’s
Spirit
of
America
Award.
The
award
was
presented
on stage
to
Gibson
by RVIA
Chairman
of the
Board
Bruce
Hertzke,
chairman
and CEO
of
Winnebago
Industries;
RVIA
President
David
Humphreys;
and RVIA
Public
Relations
Committee
Chairman
B.J.
Thompson,
president
of B.J.
Thompson
Associates,
Inc.
“Bob
Gibson,
you are
a great
ambassador
for
RVing,”
Thompson
said.
“You are
truly
one of a
kind.
We’re
honored
to be
associated
with
you.”
Order a
free RV
“getting-started”
DVD or
CD-ROM
at
1-888-Go
RVing or
GoRVing.com.
Surf the
website
for
lists of
Go RVing
dealers
and
campgrounds
in your
area, as
well as
RV
shows,
publications,
rental
sources
and
clubs.
Or write
to: RVIA,
P.O. Box
2999,
Dept. P,
Reston,
VA
20195.
RVIA (rvia.org)
is the
national
association
representing
more
than 550
manufacturers
and
component
suppliers
producing
approximately
98
percent
of all
RVs made
in the
United
States.
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to
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RV sales
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your RV
dealership?
Then
visit DP
Ball
Advertising
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dealership
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