Thomas Harris "Hal" Gibson II (1913-1987) was born in Atlanta, Georgia, to William Bayne Gibson (1888-1972) and Anna Colmery Gibson (1889-1973). He attended the University of Georgia and later completed management courses at Harvard University and New York University. The Coca-Cola Company hired him in 1937 and he became a district manager. During World War II he enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps and attained the rank of lieutenant colonel. After the war he returned to the Coca-Cola Company and later became vice president and general manager of Coca-Cola USA Fountain Sales until he retired in 1978. After retiring, he became president of Coca-Cola Grads, a society for retired Coca-Cola employees. He married Dorothy Wiggins Gibson (1918-?) and they had two children: Thomas Harris Gibson III and Diane Callahan. Thomas Gibson II was a member of the board of trustees of the Atlanta Historical Society, a member of the Piedmont Driving Club, and a patron member of International Variety, a charity for children.