The Mentor of My Boarding School Saga
March 22, 2021
by Brian Isbell
Dear Gil, Sharon, and Family (some of whom I have met in-passing over the years, particularly his grandchildren),
Gil meant the world to me. He was my AP teacher, my advisor, my foremost collegiate reference, my hockey coach (albeit, I could have made varsity during my last two seasons, but I stuck with him, because getting into Middlebury was all I cared about - athletics took a backseat to academia diversification and well-balanced extracurriculars).
Middlebury was the primary target at St Mark’s School circa-III Form Year; hence, hockey became a recreational passion, not a primary pursuit, as a result. He knew it, and I knew it.
Have you ever had that whole-hearted triumph when you step your first foot onto a campus and think, instinctively, “THIS IS THE ONE - THE HOLY GRAIL!?”
That was Middlebury for me, and he knew it / shared the same feeling years beforehand...
I made it in to the “mini Ivy” of our mutual dreams. He was so proud.
I’ll never forget the ear-to-ear smile on his face when we both opened the letter together - that moment will live with me until the day I pass.
Your husband/father/grandfather meant the world to me. He changed my life in 6+ ways, and I am so grateful for how he revered his best student athletes.
Please accept this as a prayer for his passing and blessing for his tenure. I am so sad, yet so grateful.
Sincerely,
Brian Isbell
+1.978.790.2705
brianmitchisbell@gmail.com
Gil meant the world to me. He was my AP teacher, my advisor, my foremost collegiate reference, my hockey coach (albeit, I could have made varsity during my last two seasons, but I stuck with him, because getting into Middlebury was all I cared about - athletics took a backseat to academia diversification and well-balanced extracurriculars).
Middlebury was the primary target at St Mark’s School circa-III Form Year; hence, hockey became a recreational passion, not a primary pursuit, as a result. He knew it, and I knew it.
Have you ever had that whole-hearted triumph when you step your first foot onto a campus and think, instinctively, “THIS IS THE ONE - THE HOLY GRAIL!?”
That was Middlebury for me, and he knew it / shared the same feeling years beforehand...
I made it in to the “mini Ivy” of our mutual dreams. He was so proud.
I’ll never forget the ear-to-ear smile on his face when we both opened the letter together - that moment will live with me until the day I pass.
Your husband/father/grandfather meant the world to me. He changed my life in 6+ ways, and I am so grateful for how he revered his best student athletes.
Please accept this as a prayer for his passing and blessing for his tenure. I am so sad, yet so grateful.
Sincerely,
Brian Isbell
+1.978.790.2705
brianmitchisbell@gmail.com