Mr. Gibson, long a key contributor on the Cotter staff, is transitioning back to life in the family business.

After attending Cotter High School, Will Gibson remembers not only how he was changed through the experience, but how Cotter changed.

“When Cotter first moved onto our campus, I was a freshman and I helped carry books and desks from the old building, near Cathedral.  During my sophomore year, we were one of the very first high schools to have access to the Internet.  We had our first international boarding students my junior year.  I watched the building of the skyway in my senior year. Our student population almost doubled by the time I graduated, and we had extremely high school spirit.”

After graduating from Cotter in 1996, Gibson moved onto college at St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minn.  and eventually pursued his master’s degree. During this time, Gibson worked at his father’s family business, Whetstone Machine, Inc., making custom parts for other companies- usually parts that fit into larger machines and equipment.

Gibson knew during his final days of high school that he would someday return to Cotter. “I greatly admired the school president, Mr. James Devine, when I was a student.  Unfortunately, he died during my senior year.  He inspired me to want to continue the vision that he helped lead us toward.”

And continue the vision he did. Since Gibson first began working in admissions, Cotter’s international student numbers have boomed.

“When the boarding program began, the vision was to have students from across the USA to join our great Math and Science programs.  That happened, but the real growth has been with international students.  In the 11 years I have been involved, we have attracted students from many more countries, and have very high-quality students.”

After first returning from China in 2003, Gibson began working at Cotter as a substitute teacher in Mr. Donlin’s room. In June of 2004, Gibson was hired full-time as Cotter’s dorm director, maintaining that position until June of 2006, when he started working in admissions.

Up until December 5, his final official day at Cotter, Gibson’s position changed as Cotter did.  For yea, Gibson had been working to promote Cotter outside of the Winona area, traveling both in the country and internationally. During his time at Cotter, Gibson traveled to various countries around the world.

Gibson will not only miss Cotter itself, but the experiences that came with it. “What I will miss most will be being a part of a Catholic school. I knew our teachings helped develop a better world by encouraging compassion, excellence, and community in our students.”

Gibson’s family business, located in downtown Winona, will be a change from the Cotter atmosphere. “At Cotter, our product is really abstract, measured by the future contributions that alumni make to society.  At Whetstone, we make physical products that have very exact size, shape, and compositions.  Moving back into the manufacturing world is a significant change.”

After the unexpected death of his father earlier this year, Gibson decided it was time for a change in his life. Along with his brothers, Drew Gibson, Chief Operations Officer of Whetstone Machine, and Tom Gibson, they plan to keep the business in the family for as long as possible.

Gibson will be full-time at his family’s business. Effective as of December 5, Mrs. Mandi Olsen will be taking Gibson’s place, and will be reviewing how the position will be filled in the future.

After thinking back on some of his favorite Cotter moments, Gibson had many kind things to say, “I loved the Centennial celebrations because they allowed me a chance to dig into our history and learn the stories of our founders, and the lives of the thousands of students that came before me.  When we started, we only had boys from Winona at Cotter.  Every year since then we have changed, and will continue to evolve, but the research we did shows that we are still holding true to the vision that Bishop Cotter had, to use the school systems to unify people from many different backgrounds and languages, and to teach trust in God and trust in community as a way for a better life.  I am most proud of being a small part of the history, and passing the torch along to a new generation of Ramblers.”

Now, Gibson is looking forward to the next chapter in his life. After marrying his wife, Jen, in July of this year, they hope to start a family and explore new ways to stay connected in the Winona community, and of course, the Cotter and WACS family.

“There are so many great Ramblers in the world.  I am looking forward to seeing the great things that our current students and future graduates will be doing.  The future is very bright for Cotter!”

We wish you the best in all that is to come for you, Mr. Gibson.