 This event, known as the Greensboro sit-ins, initiated a sit-in movement that was a pivotal event during the civil rights movement.On May 23, 1960, the role of President Emeritus was bestowed upon him by the college, and after 34 years of service to A&T, Gibbs retired in 1966, at the age of 74.In that same year, he wrote the ""History of The North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College,"" which recounts the history of the university from its beginnings as a land grant institution to the administration of Dr. Lewis Dowdy.