Mary Victoria Gibson (28 October 1864 – 1 September 1929) was a New Zealand teacher and school principal. Born in Lyttelton in 1864 soon after her mother came to New Zealand, her father was Frederick Denhame Gibson, a port officer in Lyttelton, and her mother was Mary Fox Gibson (née Rodd). Mary Gibson received her education at a private school, followed by

Christchurch Girls' High School Christchurch Girls' High School in Christchurch, New Zealand, was established in 1877 and is the second oldest girls-only secondary school in the country, after Otago Girls' High School. History Christchurch Girls' High School was established i ...

and

Canterbury College Canterbury College may refer to: * Canterbury College (Indiana), U.S. * Canterbury College (Waterford), Queensland, Australia * Canterbury College (Windsor, Ontario), Canada * Canterbury College, Kent, England * Canterbury College, Oxford, England ...

, from where she graduated in 1887 with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

, and a year later with a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

in English and Latin. Gibson started teaching at

Sydenham School Sydenham School (known as Sydenham Girls by locals) is a comprehensive girls' school located on Dartmouth Road ( A2216) in Sydenham, London. History The school was founded in 1917 as a girls' grammar school, known as Sydenham County Grammar Sch ...

while she was still at the college. In 1889, Gibson was put in charge of the girls' department of East Christchurch School. She was appointed principal of

in 1898 after the sudden death of the previous principal, Emily Foster. She remained at the school for 30 years and under her guidance, the roll grew significantly. She retired from CGHS in 1928 and in the following year, she relieved the principal at

Waitaki Girls' High School "Satisfaction from hard work" , established = 1887; years ago , principal = Elizabeth Koni , address = Trent Street, Oamaru, New Zealand , coordinates = , type = State, Girls, Secondary years 9-13 , roll = () , decile ...

Oamaru Oamaru (; mi, Te Oha-a-Maru) is the largest town in North Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand, it is the main town in the Waitaki District. It is south of Timaru and north of Dunedin on the Pacific coast; State Highway 1 and the railway ...

. She developed

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

and died in Oamaru on 1 September 1929. Her funeral service was held at Rangi Ruru and she was buried at Waimairi Cemetery. Later in the month, a memorial service was held at

ChristChurch Cathedral ChristChurch Cathedral, also called Christ Church Cathedral and (rarely) Cathedral Church of Christ, is a deconsecrated Anglican cathedral in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand. It was built between 1864 and 1904 in the centre of the city, ...

. Gibson was from a family of educators. Her father bought a school in

Papanui Papanui is a major suburb of Christchurch, New Zealand. It is situated five kilometers to the northwest of the city centre. Papanui is a middle socio-economic area with a population of 3,645 consisting predominantly of Pākehā (NZ Eur ...

in 1889, and it was run by her sister

Helen Helen may refer to: People * Helen of Troy, in Greek mythology, the most beautiful woman in the world * Helen (actress) (born 1938), Indian actress * Helen (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Places * Helen, ...

and her mother; the school was later renamed Rangi Ruru. Her sister Beatrice became principal of

Nelson College for Girls , motto_translation = Loyalty, honesty and wisdom , type = State secondary, day and boarding , established = 1883; years ago , address = Trafalgar St , city = Nels ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gibson, Mary Victoria 1864 births 1929 deaths People from Christchurch University of Canterbury alumni Heads of schools in New Zealand Burials at Waimairi Cemetery People educated at Christchurch Girls' High School Deaths from pneumonia in New Zealand