Jack Gibson (schoolmaster)

John Travers Mends 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 naval officer Charles Gibson and Emmeline Mary Fletcher and was born on 3 March 1908. He studied at Mowden Preparatory School in Brighton before he was sent in 1921 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. 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. 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, until 1935 under the headship of James Dyson, whom he admired. 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.

He applied to Doon and was offered the post of a housemaster. He joined Doon in January 1937 as the housemaster of Kashmir House. 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. Thereafter, he also served as Principal of the Joint Services Wing, which is now the National Defence Academy. As Principal, he gave a concrete shape to the academic and extra-curricular activities there and was fondly remembered by all, more so by the cadets undergoing training. Three of the first NDA Course cadets (Gen SF Rodrigues, Admiral L Ramdas and Air Chief Marshal NC Suri) who happened to become Chiefs of the three Services respectively around the same time, together paid a courtesy visit to him in Ajmer where he had settled. He stayed in Doon till 1953, before he was appointed as Principal of Mayo College, Rajasthan. He is widely credited to have brought Mayo College to national prominence. He remained in Mayo for 15 years till 1969. After retiring, he wrote extensively for the Alpine Journal and the Himalayan Club Journal.

Mountaineering career highlights

* 1937 – Gibson along with his Doon School colleague John Martyn reached the Bandarpunch summit ridge for the first time, 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".
* 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.
* 1970-1973- Gibson served as President of the Indian mountaineering club called the Himalayan Club. 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. It was a rare achievement to have been honoured by both the governments.

See also

*Role of The Doon School in Indian mountaineering

References

Further reading

''An Indian Englishman''
by Jack Gibson, Lulu Press, 2008,
* As I Saw It : Record of a Crowded Life in India 1937-1969, by JTM Gibson. Memoirs. Published by Mukul Prakashan, J-2 Kailash Colony, New Delhi. 1976.The book was later edited and abridged under the title 'An Indian Englishman'. See above.
* 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 .

''Chhota Hazri Days: A Dosco's Yatra''
by Sanjiv Bathla, Rupa & Co., 2010 .

''The Corporeal Image''
by David McDougall, Princeton University Press, 2006, .
* The Last Englishman: The Life & Times of Jack Gibson, by Laeek Futehally. Published by Hachette India Local, 2015. .

External links

Jack Gibson Memorial Website

An Indian Englishman:Jack Gibson

Essay by Jack Gibson

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gibson, Jack
1908 births
1994 deaths
English writers
English mountain climbers
English explorers
Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge
The Doon School faculty
People educated at Haileybury and Imperial Service College
Officers of the Order of the British Empire
People from East Preston, West Sussex