Secret to a Successful Marriage:
Take Your Spouse RVing, Says Baseball Hall of Famer Bob Gibson

Baseball Hall of Famer Bob Gibson recently offered a valuable piece of marriage advice: Take your spouse on frequent RV vacations.

Bob Gibson' Career

Right Handed Pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals (1959 - 1975) Born: November 9, 1935 in Omaha, Nebraska His number 45 is retired by the St. Louis Cardinals, and in 1981, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall Of Fame. Bob Gibson was a star basketball player at Creighton University and he played with the Harlem Globetrotters from 1957-1958 Career Stats Innings Pitched W -L Record ERA 3885 251-174 2.91

“One of the nicest things about RVing is my wife actually smiles at me when we get inside… she’s always in a good mood in our motorhome,” Gibson said, sharing his firsthand experiences with an audience of RV industry executives.

The former St. Louis Cardinal pitcher received his first RV as a retirement gift from the team in 1975. Gibson and his wife, Wendy, have been on the road ever since.

“I enjoy the RV world,” said Gibson. “I will have one until the day I die.”

“[Team owner] August Busch asked me, ‘What do you want when you retire? We want to get you something spectacular,’” Gibson recounted. “Of course, I wanted a motorhome,” revealed Gibson, regarded as one of baseball’s all-time greats. With 50,000 fans watching, Mr. Busch surprised him by driving the motorhome right into the stadium, Gibson recalled.

The couple has owned seven RVs over the past 30 years, including their current Itasca Horizon, a 40-foot Type A motorhome. Most of their RVs were purchased from RV dealer Bill Thomas of Bill Thomas Camper Sales, Wentzville, Mo., who has become a personal friend.

The Gibsons’ new RV has all the comforts of home, including a kitchen, bedroom, bath and living room. Among the state-of-the-art amenities in their motorhome are ceramic-tiled floors, flat-screen TVs, surround-sound CD and DVD players, queen-size bed, satellite TV and radio, and rooms that expand at the push of a button to create extra space.