Scott Gibbs, veteran Bay Area cameraman, videographer, and film producer, has been honored by the District of San Francisco with the title of “Distinguished Lasallian Educator.” For the past nine years, Gibbs has worked to document worldwide the Lasallian mission of serving the poor through education. In addition to producing a variety of documentaries and educational films, Gibbs has donated to the District a major collection of visual materials and has volunteered countless hours of his time on Lasallian projects.

The citation says, in part, "In gratitude…and humble acknowledgment… the De La Salle Christian Brothers' District of San Francisco is honored to inform you that you have been officially recognized as a Distinguished Lasallian Educator, not only for the excellence of your skills as a video-journalist, but also for the genuine commitment that you have shown to furthering the mission of the Brothers with their Lasallian partners in the human and Christian education of the poor."

Gibbs, who served as a combat cameraman during the Vietnam War and then worked for major news shows in New York and San Francisco, is the founder and owner of Quadrant Productions of Alameda, which provides visual materials for major corporate and broadcast clients both 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, Brother David Brenna, in 1998, Gibbs said, "I knew of Christian Brothers Brandy, but not that they were teachers." As he explained, "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 fourteen countries around the world, and it has been an amazing experience. The Brothers’ schools are the real thing, excellent in every way."

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."

The videos that Gibbs has made over the years, for both internal and external educational purposes, have instructed and inspired many Christian Brothers and Lasallian partners. For Gibbs, the benefit has been reciprocal: "It is wonderful for me to be able to do something late in my career that is really worthwhile and fun and makes me feel like I’m contributing to making the world a little bit better. I do a lot of corporate work where they attempt to manufacture what comes to the Brothers naturally--we’re a family, we’re sharing something that’s wonderful, we’re a team--these sports metaphors all the time. With the Brothers, it's the real thing. It comes from what has happened inside each one of these people, and it becomes evident when they come together to do their work."

Scott Gibbs's Distinguished Lasllian Educator medallion and citation were presented to him at the hospital in Oakland, California, where he is currently undergoing a difficult course of chemotheraphy for leukemia. Scott and his wife Mary Elizabeth Gibbs were surprised and overjoyed at the honor paid him. The two were married on St. Patrick’s’ Day 2007, during a brief break between hospital stays.

Said Scott on being told of his award, "I cannot begin to tell you how honored I am. ‘Distinguished.’ Is wonderful. ‘Lasallian’ -- I couldn't be more proud to be. ‘Educator’ has become a term which I would never have expected to be applied to me. Especially in conjunction with ‘Lasallian.’ I am simply overwhelmed. My darling wife's name is Mary Elizabeth Gibbs and, although I am currently going through this difficult time medically, we are deeply in love and her prayers as well as so many from the Brothers' and Catholic community have proven to be so wonderful for me. I, again, cannot tell you what all this means to me. You all provide me with such strength, and I know that Mary feels the same way. You all mean so very much to us both."