'Teacher of life': Benedictine's Gibrall mentored, guided cadets over the years
With the passing of Barry Gibrall on Monday, the Benedictine community lost not just a supremely loyal alumnus but a true icon and really good, decent guy as well.
Gibrall, who was 79 and a proud member of the Class of 1964, was Benedictine through and through.
From the time he was a student, he represented his alma mater with joy and distinction, and in myriad ways, his name was synonymous with the institution which he served as a faculty member, administrator, and “The Voice” of the Cadets’ football, basketball, and baseball programs from 2000 until 2025 when he stepped back because of declining health.
“Barry was one of the most generous souls that I’ve ever known,” said Greg Lilly, head of school at Benedictine College Prep. “He had such a desire to help others and a love for Benedictine and for education.
“He was a link to the past, which was such a great thing for these young men. He loved to tell the story of the undefeated 1962 football team (on which Gibrall played) and what his brother Cadets were like when they were all together down on Sheppard Street.
“As loud as he could get on a microphone when he was announcing a game and was getting excited, he was just such a peaceful, thoughtful, gentle, genuine guy. That’s how I think of him now.”
Though Gibrall developed into an educator nonpareil, the school business wasn’t his first career.
After he earned both undergraduate and graduate degrees from University of Richmond (where he played football), he owned and operated three restaurants/bars: one in the Fan, one downtown, and one not far from the UR campus.
Teaching was always in the back of his mind, though, and in the early 90’s, he consulted his longtime friend John McGinty, who offered him a board substitute job in the English department at Mills Godwin High School where he served as principal.
Gibrall made such an impression, McGinty said, that the students voted him PTA Teacher of the Year, an award for which he was ineligible because he wasn’t a full-time teacher.
In the fall of 1993, McGinty, always seeking the most outstanding teachers, hired him to teach English and journalism and sponsor The Eagles’ Eyrie, the student newspaper.
As testament to his impact, in 1996 Gibrall earned, for real, the teacher of the year honor.
Benedictine called in the late 90’s, and after five years at Godwin, Gibrall returned home.
Soon after, McGinty retired from Henrico County, became head of Benedictine, and reunited with his friend whom he had known, literally, since childhood.
“Barry was a warm and engaging person who enjoyed being with young people, and they enjoyed being with him,” McGinty said. “He made learning fun. That was one of his gifts.
“When a student or colleague was doing well, he would say it was powerful. Powerful was one of his words. When Barry would introduce me to a student who was really skilled, he called him or her a ‘wizard.’”
Throughout his Benedictine tenure, Gibrall taught English, poetry, creative writing, and journalism. As was the case at Godwin, his classes were always well-subscribed.
From 2000-2010, he also served as athletic director and enhanced his reputation as one of the knowledgeable, approachable, go-to guys on campus.
“Everybody knew Barry,” said Bobby Ross, a 1955 Benedictine graduate, former high school, college, and professional football coach, and the namesake of the stadium on the school’s River Road campus. “He was always willing to listen. He had a nice, warm personality.
“He was always friendly and outgoing. He was honest, direct, and fair. Barry was just a good person. He knew Benedictine. He loved Benedictine. He was Benedictine.”
Gibrall was much more than a teacher of subject matter. He was truly a teacher of life, a confidant, a friend, and an abiding advocate for Cadets present and past.
Though he was a larger-than-life presence and the quintessential people-person in the Benedictine community, he was also, in a way, unassuming and performed one act of kindness after another well out of the public eye.
Who knows how many letters of recommendation he wrote, calls he made to help out a student, or encouraging words he offered when someone needed them most?
Who knows how many hours he spent patiently listening, serving as a sounding board, a confidant, and a trusted voice of reason, then giving advice when asked but mainly dispensing wisdom?
Who keeps count, anyway? Certainly not Gibrall, for he always preferred that the focus be on the cadets and colleagues, not on him.
And you know what? He never expected anything in return.
Ed Davis, a 6-9 center and a five-star basketball recruit, transferred to Benedictine from Hanover High in 2006.
He was Mr. Basketball in Virginia as a senior in 2008, starred at the University of North Carolina, played on the Tar Heels’ 2009 NCAA championship team, and spent 12 years in the NBA.
When he arrived on Sheppard Street, many people, including Gibrall, saw a 6-9 basketball prodigy.
Gibrall also saw a kid, albeit an uncommonly talented one who was accustomed to being in the spotlight, struggling to adjust to the regimen and discipline of a military school.
“It wasn’t an easy transition coming to Benedictine, but Mr. Gibrall always had my back,” said Davis, now retired from basketball and residing in Cary, N.C. “If I had a problem, I always went to him, and he helped me solve things and see a bigger picture.
“He always said, ‘You’re going to be fine. This will make you a better person.’ I could always go and sit in his office, which I did every day, and talk about life or whatever.”
Over the years, Davis retained his close connection with Gibrall.
Many other graduates did as well.
“I always say that in life, especially for someone in my situation, you rarely meet people who have your best interests in mind at all times and expect nothing of you,” Davis said. “He was one of those people who always wanted what was right for me and always wanted me to be happy.
“I looked at Mr. Gibrall not just as a schoolteacher but as a true friend and a mentor.”
