DR. GILBERT S. PEREZ
By
Nestor Gonzalez
(Philippine Journal of Philately, Sep-Oct 1949)
DR. GILBERT S. PEREZ, educator, scientist, and one of our foremost
authorities in and an advocate of Philippine philately, in a recent
interview with him stated in his characteristic cordiality that two
essential traits are necessary to make one succeed and derive
pleasure in stamp collecting, namely, persistence and magpie
complex.
"In philately",
he said, "as well as in other
fields of human endeavors, persistence and more persistence should
be developed, and the common "ningas cogon" trait be done away with,
if success is to be expected”.
"Of course",
he continued, "there are
periods of enthusiasm and periods of depression in one's life, but a
true philatelist should endeavor to make wider intervals and fewer
periods of depression, and should bear in mind that 'once a
philatelist, always a philatelist'. "The magpie complex", he
explained, "is the peculiar
complex of the bird called magpie which collects pieces of glass and
other bright objects and hoard them in its nest. And one cannot be a
true collector unless he has at least a small amount of this magpie
complex."
Born in Pensacola, Florida, in 1885, young Gilbert at the tender age
of 12 years began collecting the tiny tweeny bits of paper called
stamps. It was at that age when he acquired the so-called magpie
complex, which had induced him to take to the hobby of stamp
collecting. As a child he began to collect everything from peach
stones, cigarette cards and other junks, so that it is but natural
that he should he attracted to postage stamps.
After his graduation from high school, he entered the Bucknell
University where he took a course in Biology specializing in plant
pathology. Then, afterwards, he took post-graduate course at the
University of Chicago and later at the University of Illinois and in
1953 was conferred the degree of Doctor of Pedagogy,
honoris causa.
It is interesting to note that Dr. Perez came to the Philippines in
1908 as a scientist and it was by accident that he became a
pedagogue, and has become part and parcel of our educational system
many years since. At
present, he is the Chief of the Vocational Division of the Bureau of
Public Schools.
If one is an old hand in stamp collecting, in all probability he had
come across a column in one of our local newspapers called "Uncle
George". Dr. Perez once
conducted a stamp column there giving interesting philatelic
features, but due to lack of time he had to give it up. He is also a
regular contributor to the general and philatelic press. Busy as he
is at present, Dr. Perez has not neglected his collection, but is
rather gaining enthusiasm in specializing on Philippine and United
States stamps for obvious reasons: the United States is his country
by birth and the Philippines is his own by preference and adoption.
His special interest, however, is more in covers than in mint stamps
even though the gum is in the first class condition. He also
collects miniature sheets, coins, medals and everything related to
the Philippines, as books, arts, objects of antiquity, etc. His
entry of miniature sheets at the First Philippine Airmail Exhibition
won for him a Blue Ribbon.
Dr. Gilbert S. Perez has this to say of philately:
"It is a mistake to think that philately is an expensive hobby. One
can get just as much enjoyment in collecting inexpensive stamps as
in expensive ones". Special mention was made of Philippine
stamps. He is also a member of the Board of Advisers of the PPC and
co-organizer of the Philippine Numismatic and Antiquarian Society.
Dr. Perez is a member of the Advisory Committee on Stamp Designs,
which determines the designs of Philippine stamps. He is also a
member of the Board of Advisers of the PPC and co-organizer of the
Philippine Numismatic and Antiquarian Society.
With regards to the campaign conducted by the Bureau of Posts for
the promotion of philately, he issued the following statement: "The
Bureau of Posts should be congratulated for the successful effort
it has been making in encouraging philately in the Philippines. May
this work continue."
