"Hugh Thiboux"

Portraits By Brian Wilkes

Elder Hugh Thibou (1937-2016) was a universally respected co-worker. He told me once that he believed in Fanafi. Knowing he was from Trinidad where there's a large Muslim population, I thought he meant the Hanafi denomination... which confused me since he was an outspoken Christian. "No," he said, "it means Find A Need And Fill It," a goal he sought to accomplish each day. A tech trouble shooter, photographer, author, history buff, poet, and ambassador of Trinidadian culture and cuisine, he lived his faith ministering in four nursing homes every month as well as in a drug rehabilitation center and caring for countless individuals one on one, feeding and offering shelter to the homeless. He was a surrogate dad to many who had grown up without a father in the house. When he saw my original photo, he nodded approvingly and said "You've captured me." But humbly, I think no one image could ever capture a spirit so expansive. I'm honored to have known him.