On Charlie Gibson

Something about Charlie Gibson fascinates. His many quirks, his devotion to preserving the past, the tragedy of his being born in the wrong era, his egoism, and his inflexibility are all what make him so very human. He also provides rich ground for the student of history as one peels back the layers of his personality. Recently, while digging around in the archives, I stumbled on a transcript of an interview with an acquaintance of Charlie's, Mr. Lester Beck. While I found the interview charming, it simultaneously reaffirmed and challenged what I thought I knew about Charlie. Here are some of my favorite bits:

"Q.: Mr. Beck, how did you meet Charles Gibson? 

L.B.: I had been living in Boston, and I read a Life magazine article about him. It was about 1939 or 1940. One day, I just stopped in--I just stopped at the house here and told him I was interested in old homes and such, and so he invited me in, and showed me around. At that time India’s separation from Great Britain was a big event, and Mr. Gibson was corresponding with Ghandi. 

[Editorial note: The Life magazine article mentioned was published in 1941 and was entitled "John Marquand's Boston." The image above is from that article. Charlie is sitting at the desk, while author John Marquand is on the right.]

L.B. [upon being brought by the interviewer into the dining room]: He still ate in the dining room by himself. I believe he always ate in this room. He didn’t seem to have many friends, particularly. He always had the table set with everything on it--much more, many more things than are set out now. He ate alone, here [to the right side of the table, upon entering]. He ate very sparingly. Very sparingly. He was cash conscious. He was also very class conscious. He said there were some people who had to do these things [indicating pantry area]. I don’t believe he ever had more than one servant, but he did always have one, a butler, or handyman, or whatever they called them. I remember once he had a butler--a young man--and one time the police came after him [the butler] for something, and Mr. Gibson complained that the police tracked [dirt] all over the carpets.

[Editorial note: It is highly unlikely that Charlie had a butler at this time, especially if he was so cash conscious. He more likely had a hired hand, a "man of all work" who did a variety of tasks.] 

L.B.: Mr. Gibson was always thinking that things weren’t what they once were. Boston was changing. Harvard admitted people who once would never have gone there, he said. He lived for this house. He lived for the old times. He was so fond of his mother. He was conscious of who he was. But he was very careful [of money]. I remember once when I came over he suggested that we go 'round to the Ritz Carlton bar for a drink. When we put on our coats to go out, he put on a raccoon coat with a big split up the sleeve. He wore it that way. We went to the bar, and after we had had drinks, and he had paid for them, the waitress stood by [waiting for her tip]. He waved her away, and said, “I’ll take care of you later.” He never did, though. He was very careful with money, and class conscious.

     No, he really didn’t want things to change. He was part of the old times, the formal times. He always shopped at Brooks Brothers. He was always dressed properly.

     I especially remember one thing about him: he was a chain smoker. He was always smoking, and of course there were ashes, so he carried everywhere in the house with him a little broom on a long handle. When he dropped the ashes, he would brush them into the rug and say it was good for keeping moths away."

What I find most striking about this interview is Mr. Beck's overall characterization of Charlie as someone who "really didn't want things to change." He mentions this several times, and this is what has always struck me as a mainstay of Charlie's personality. What Mr. Beck seems to have witnessed in many forms is that for Charlie Gibson, the passage of time was a painful ordeal.

by: Katie Schinabeck, Former Museum Guide

Sources: 

Beck, Lester. Interview with Gibson House Museum Staff Member. 29 October, 1988.