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April 23,
2007
VOL.
45, NO. 8Oakland,
CA
Christian Brothers
give special honor to
Alameda videographer for documentaries
Scott Gibbs,
a combat cameraman during the Vietnam War who then worked for major news
shows in New York and San Francisco, has been honored by the De La Salle
Christian Brothers of the western United States with the title of “Distinguished
Lasallian Educator” for his nine years of video documentation of
the Brothers’ worldwide educational work of serving the poor through
education.
In addition to producing a variety of documentaries and educational films,
Gibbs has donated to the Brothers a major collection of visual materials
and has volunteered countless hours of his time.
He received his citation at a hospital in Oakland, where he is undergoing
a difficult course of chemotherapy for leukemia.
Gibbs is the founder and owner of Quadrant Productions of Alameda, which
provides visual materials for major corporate and broadcast clients in
the U.S. and abroad. His relations with the Brothers and the Lasallian
educational mission began as just another professional commission but
turned into a spiritual journey and a labor of love.
Recalling his first phone call from the provincial in 1998, Gibbs said,
“I knew of Christian Brothers Brandy, but not that they were teachers.”
“I’m not a Brother. I’m not a Catholic. In fact, I’d
probably define myself as an agnostic. But I’ve taped works of the
Brothers in 14 countries around the world, and it has been an amazing
experience.”
Gibbs described a singular moment, when he was standing in a hot and dusty
street in Kushpur, Pakistan, outside St. Thomas School.
“We were getting ready to leave the shoot, and a little Pakistani
boy in torn shorts and a torn T-shirt was standing there watching.
"I turned and asked him, ‘So what have the Brothers taught
you?’ He said, ‘They’ve taught me to help those who
have less than me.’
"I looked at this kid and thought ‘Who in this world has less
than you? You live in the street. You have no shoes. Look where you live.’
“He had nothing but a shirt and a pair of shorts. He was talking
about his heart, not possessions, not money. He was talking about spirituality.
He had already learned from the Brothers that he had something to give
to others. That’s the way it was in every school and work I’ve
been privileged to photograph. It’s been remarkable and absolutely
inspiring.”
(John Gray is director of public relations and information services
at De La Salle Institute in Napa.)
