Katharine Gibbs and Her Schools: Beyond White Gloves

Gibbs was the Harvard of secretarial schools.  Learn about the fascinating history of this internationally renowned school which produced world-class secretaries, college and university faculty, CEOs, elected and appointed officials, writers, designers, a college president, and a US ambassador.  Below are two New York Gibbs campuses: the New York Central Building (middle left) and the Pan Am Building (middle right).

The Gibbs century (1911-2011) saw schools in New England, west to Chicago, east to a winter campus in Bermuda. and down the East Coast to Washington, DC.  You will learn how a penniless widow created this renowned institution and how Mrs. Gibbs's excellence shaped Gibbs.

Gibbs was different from all its competitors in the famous Business Communications class and the professionalism taught and enforced every hour of every day.  This excellence meant there were a dozen employers for each graduate.  Employers were willing to wait until graduation and pay more for Gibbs people.

By 1937 Esquire, a men's magazine, published a cartoon that depicted Gibbs as one place women could receive respect. The caption says "Hello Katharine Gibbs Secretarial School? Help! Help!"

Reproduced with permission of Esquire Magazine

In 2014 the National Women's History Project honored Katharine Ryan       Gibbs as a woman of character, courage, and commitment.  All Gibbs staff, faculty, and graduates are very proud of this award.

                       I look forward to seeing you in South Florida!