The Fresno State Farm Market has been renamed the Rue and Gwen Gibson Farm Market, honoring the memory of the late Fresno couple. Trustees of the California State University system Wednesday (March 12) approved the new name, which was requested by Fresno State President John D. Welty.

A $2 million gift from the couple’s daughter, Joyce Mae Gibson, will help renovate the market and establish an endowment for the Equine Studies program. Joyce Mae Gibson died in January.

Of the gift total, $1.5 million will be used to update the Farm Market, which was established as a roadside stand in 1984 to sell excess sweet corn and fresh fruit grown by students.

New features will include an observational bakery, a cooking demonstration facility, an ice cream parlor, a deli shop, a wine-tasting room, a flower shop, a plant nursery, an outdoor dining area and an audio-visual exhibit showing how farm products are produced by students. An organic vegetable garden also is being planned adjacent to the farm market.

The remaining $500,000 will establish the Rue and Gwen Gibson Endowment for Equine Studies. The Gibson family had a lifetime interest in horses and often rode together along the San Joaquin River, where Rue Gibson had a ranch.

“The new market will be designed around the farm-to-fork theme in which customers will not only be able to shop for their favorite Fresno State farm-fresh products, but they’ll get to see and experience how they are produced and processed,” said Ganesan Srinivasan, director of the University Agricultural Laboratory.

Patrons also will be able to taste food at the new market, he said.

“This generous gift from Joyce Gibson helps us improve upon a much-loved Fresno State institution,” said Dr. Peter Smits, vice president of University Advancement. “Joyce loved to shop at the Farm Market, and encouraged her friends to shop there too. Her generosity makes it possible for our customers to enjoy the market even more and will better highlight the work of our students and faculty.”

Last year, more than $1 million in products were sold through the market, including fresh fruits and vegetables, wine, cheese, olive oil, nuts, meats and ice cream.

In 1986, the market located on the southeast corner of Barstow and Chestnut avenues moved indoors into a corner of a post-harvest facility where grapes and stone fruit were packed. In the early 1990s, walls and a ceiling were built to define the market space.

In 2004, a temperature-controlled wine room and more freezer space were added. In 2006, two new freezers and a refrigerator for displaying dairy products were installed, along with air conditioning.

Benefactor Joyce Mae Gibson began her career as a teacher and worked in the Fresno Unified School District and also as Dean of Women at Cabrillo College. As she was working on her doctorate in education, she changed her focus, attended law school and became a lawyer. After working as only the second female attorney in the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office, she went into private practice and also taught classes at a law school. She and her father were among the first father-daughter legal teams to practice in Fresno.

Rue Gibson was an Arkansas native and Fresno attorney who worked for the law firm of Judge Harris and L.B. Hayhurst. One of his early legal efforts was trying to bring electricity to the foothill residents of Fresno County. Gwendolyn Tobin Gibson was born in Oleander (present-day Easton). She received her teaching credential from Fresno State and taught for 20 years in Fresno County.

For more information contained in this release, please go to the following Web site(s):

Rue and Gwen Gibson Farm Market Ceremony

Fresno State Farm Market