By Yvonne Dennis (246)
When Jesse Garber (230) photographs a single Central High School sporting event, he’s building on a nearly 50-year narrative.
It’s a narrative about victory, frustration, ambition, growth, tradition and change.
And while he’s traversing the Lancers sidelines in blazing heat to bitter cold, or inside stuffy gymnasiums, to get his amazing images, Mr. Garber also oftentimes is kidding, encouraging– and chastising, when needed–people he has gotten to know.
He does all this out of love, not money. (People can download photographs from his website without paying). His day job, which he arranges to accommodate his avocation and other priorities, is pharmacist for Giant Food Stores.
“My uncle owned a camera shop that I worked in starting when I was 12 years old,” he said in between snapping shots at the first Lancers football game of the 2016 season, against the Wissahickon Trojans on Sept. 2. “I’ve had a camera in my hand for 50 years now. I’ve always photographed something. Buildings, siblings, family.
“About 1967, ’68 I started photographing here at Central. I was a freshman, siting up in the same stands here.”
He’s been married to the craft ever since.
“I have not missed a Central-Northeast game since 1966, in every weather in every format.”
Mr. Garber is also married to a Northeast grad named Jackie, is the father of three grown children, and grandfather of one.
“When my kids were growing up I used a lot of film and I have a lot of pictures of them,” he said. “They used to get very irritated with me. And now that they’re in their 30s they’re like, ‘Boy, I’m glad I have those pictures.’ ”
Though he’s a strong believer in values kids can learn from sports, Mr. Garber didn’t push Lauren, Joshua or Melissa into athletics. As for himself: “I was 145 pounds soaking wet when I was at Central,” he said with a laugh.
But his older two kids took to athletics, were good at some things, not so good at other things.
“The thing about doing athletics is there’s one winner at the end of the year,” said Mr. Garber. “It doesn’t mean you’re not a winner in life. It just means you didn’t win that league championship. And just move on to the next year and try to get better.
“Children who play up to their maximum capacity are winners. Those who have high capacity and don’t play up to anywhere near it are truly losers even if they win the final game. They irritate the dickens out of me.”
Mr. Garber took a moment late in the Wissahickon game to congratulate senior Blake Schwartz on his defensive touchdown and chat about the coming season. At another point in the game, when he heard one of the Lancers’ pep squad members shout an obscenity toward the field, he turned around and amiably cautioned her that it might not be a good idea to speak that way.
At every Thanksgiving game he leaves the Lancers cut oranges in their lockeroom for a halftime boost.
In addition to football, Mr. Garber shoots some basketball, including the alumni basketball game around Thanksgiving.
He notes that he and former Lancers great/current boys basketball coach Haviland Harper were in the same class. “His senior year was a great team. Too bad we had Overbrook to deal with and Andre McCarter, and Jellybean Bryant from Bartram.” McCarter and Bryant are both retired NBA players. Bryant is the father of newly retired NBA great Kobe Bryant.
As much as Mr. Garber loves sports, he does what he does for wider reasons.
“Central High School is what it’s about,” he said. “Every time you see a Centralite you ask what their class number is. We’re wired that way. We’re wired into the Barnwell system, into Barnwell Honors. We’re wired into a president of a college, a bachelor of arts upon graduation. There was a tradition there that you’ll never get away from.”
Mr. Garber’s brother Paul Garber is a member of 232 and their father, Herbert Garber, was a member of the 185.
A resident of Neshaminy, Mr. Garber photographs Neshaminy High School games and he’s been photographing the Philadelphia Soul arena football team for years.
A familiar presence at Central games, Mr. Garber said he gets asked a lot by returning alumni about the state of the football team, which hasn’t won a championship in a while.
His reply: “I say this time and again. The young ladies who came in to Central took all our linemen out of the picture. I was in the bottom half of my class in high school. I’m not so sure I would have gotten in today. I’m not so sure some of our linemen would have gotten in today.
“But if you’re an intelligent young man and you understand the value of education, Central is the place that you want to go to school. You’ll get the athletics. If you’re really good, the colleges will always find you. Walt Pegues is my perfect example.”
Walt Pegues (273) compiled over 1,000 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns his senior year at Central, and was named All Public in 2011,2012, and 2013. He was also named All-State in track and field. He’s now a wide receiver at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Mr. Garber said he thinks many athletes choose other Philadelphia schools over Central because of a perception that athletics aren’t as emphasized.
“Some of the schools in the area are noted for recruiting athletes,” he says. Some of their students then “get into college and they can’t play their first year because their academics are subpar. Those are the young people I feel sorry for because they are going to be really frustrated in their lives. They’ve been failed academically.”
