ABC's Gibson establishes scholarship

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. - ABC News anchor Charles Gibson urged Union College graduates to practice honesty and fairness Sunday and established a scholarship in his father's name.

"It sounds old-fashioned, but I will tell you there are ethical imperatives in this life," said Gibson, who received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters during the ceremony. "Compassion. Honesty. Fairness. Trustworthiness. Respect for others. If those things are not the bedrocks of your life, you will suffer for their absence in time. And I would wager you won't much like yourself."

Gibson's father, Burdett, grew up in Schenectady and graduated from Union in 1923. The anchor of the top-rated network evening news show contributed $75,000 to help create the Burdett Gibson Class of 1923 Scholarship, which will be awarded each year to a student in need.

College President Stephen Ainlay presented Gibson with a copy of the 1923 yearbook, along with a framed photograph of his father's yearbook entry.