Jack Gibson (schoolmaster)
| Jack Gibson OBE, Padma Shri | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
3 March 1908 England |
| Died |
23 October 1994 India |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | St. John's College, University of Cambridge |
| Occupation | Scholar, academic, Schoolmaster, Mountaineer |
| Known for |
Schoolmaster at The Doon School Headmaster of Mayo College |
John Travers Mends Gibson OBE Padma Shri, (more commonly known as Jack Gibson) (3 March 1908 – 23 October 1994), was an English schoolmaster, scholar, academic and a distinguished British Himalayan mountaineer.
Early life and career
Gibson was the son of a naval officer and was born on 3 March 1908. He was sent to Haileybury and Imperial Service College for schooling and later joined the University of Cambridge. At Cambridge, he earned a half blue in fencing. He almost made it to the British Olympic Team.[1] In 1929, he began his career as a professor in Chillon College, Switzerland, responsible for teaching pupils History and winter sports. While at the college, he became a member of the famed Swiss Alpine Club.[1] When the college suffered due to economic downturn, Gibson went on to teach at Ripon Grammar School. He remained at Ripon from 1932 until 1936. It was at Ripon that he met Malcolm Hailey, 1st Baron Hailey, who encouraged him to apply to The Doon School in India which had newly opened for Indian boys.[1]
He applied to Doon and was offered the post of a housemaster. He joined Doon in January 1937 as the housemaster of Kashmir House.[1] Apart from being a housemaster, he also taught Geography to Doon pupils. He took a brief leave while at Doon to fight in the Second World War for the Royal Indian Naval Reserve.[2] Thereafter, he also served as Principal of the Joint Services Wing, which is now the National Defence Academy.[3] He stayed in Doon till 1953, before he was appointed as Principal of Mayo College, Rajasthan.[4] He is widely credited to have brought Mayo College to national prominence.[5][6] He remained in Mayo for 15 years till 1969. After retiring, he wrote extensively for the Alpine Journal and the Himalayan Club Journal.[1]
Mountaineering career highlights
- 1937 – Gibson along with his Doon School colleague John Martyn climbed Bandarpunch with Tenzing Norgay, who later became the first man to climb Mount Everest. In Tenzing's autobiography, he mentions Gibson several times as "my old friend Mr. Gibson".[1][7]
- 1946 – Gibson was a member of the mountaineering enthusiasts at Doon along with Gurdial Singh, J.A.K. Martyn and R.L. Holdsworth. He was a member of many successful expeditions, including to Kamet and Trisul.[8]
- 1970-1973- Gibson served as President of the Indian mountaineering club called the Himalayan Club.[1] He was also a member of the Alpine Club.
Honours and distinctions
Gibson was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 1960, and in 1965 received Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award in India, from the Government of India for his contributions towards education.[9][10] It was a rare achievement to have been honoured by both the governments.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "In Memoriam". Himalayan Club. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ↑ "Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation" (PDF). Rmaf.org.ph. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
- ↑ "The Tribune, Chandigarh, India – Opinions". Tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ↑ "Does India Need The 'Old School Tie'" (PDF). Jtmgibson.typepad.com. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
- ↑ "A Man of Principle : Jack Gibson, guiding light to generations of Mayo College boys, passes away" (PDF). Jtmgibson.typepad.com. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
- ↑ "Made in Mayo" (PDF). Mayocollege.com. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
- ↑ "Man of Everest: the autobiography of Tenzing – Tenzing Norkey, James Ramsey Ullman – Google Books". Books.google.co.in. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ↑ Geoffrey Templman. "In Memoriam" (PDF). Alpinejoournal.org.uk. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
- ↑ "In Memoriam". Himalayan Club. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
- ↑ "Supplement to the London Gazette : 31 December 1960" (PDF). London-gazette.co.uk. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
Further reading
- An Indian Englishman by Jack Gibson, Lulu Press, 2008, ISBN 978-1-4357-3461-6
- As We Saw It. Mayo Old Boys' Letters. Compiled by JTM Gibson. 1991. Published by Mayo College Old Boys Association, New Delhi. Printed by Gayatri Offset Press, Noida U.P. India.
- Martyn Sahib, the story of John Martyn of the Doon School, by Mady Martin, University of California Press, 1985.
- For Hills To Climb by Gurdial Singh and Nalni Dhar, The Doon School Old Boys' Society, 2001.
- Doon, The Story of a School, IPSS (1985) edited by Sumer Singh, published by the Indian Public Schools Society 1985.
- Constructing Post-Colonial India: National Character and the Doon School by Sanjay Srivastva, published by Routledge 1998 ISBN 0-203-98027-1.
- Chhota Hazri Days: A Dosco's Yatra by Sanjiv Bathla, Rupa & Co., 2010 ISBN 978-81-291-1694-9.
- The Corporeal Image by David McDougall, Princeton University Press, 2006, ISBN 978-0-691-12156-7.