Remembering Michael Gamilla and how to build a legacy
Michael Gamilla on the runway at a Center for Youth event. Credit: Sage Field Cruz
I want to acknowledge Michael Gamilla, who died March 9.
For people who don’t know Michael, he was an LGBT community member whose legacy is ImageOut, our community’s gay film festival. He was a cultural icon in terms of the work that he did to bring gay film to Rochester.
It’s a sad time for this community. Not only have we lost a decent human being, but somebody who's legacy will require someone to continue it. Those are big shoes to fill. I suspect it will happen.
I remember Michael as very self-effacing, charming. A gentleman with a fabulous wardrobe. His wardrobe was energetic, electric, beautiful fabrics that reflected his charm and personality.
Michael Gamilla was synonymous with Imageout. Credit: imageout.org
I like people who are passionate about what they do and do things for other people and he certainly did that. No question.
But what I want to talk about is legacy building because I think he and Evelyn Bailey, who died in 2022, are good examples of people who leave a tremendous legacy.
And this is the dispensing advice thing that I do with my younger colleagues. There are some young people who actually listen to my advice, and I dispense advice constantly. One of my themes is legacy building.
So here's a little story.
I asked my young colleagues, how would you like to be remembered? That when somebody says your name, they immediately say something positive. “Every time I asked her something, she said, if I don't know, let me find out for you.” “He was just so nice and so good with patients.” Those kinds of things.
A month or so ago, a couple of our employees left Trillium Health to take positions elsewhere. These two employees were -- I want to be diplomatic here -- a bit difficult. Not uniformly well-liked.
I walked into a room with a couple of colleagues and one person said to another, have you heard that X is leaving and took another job? And the other person responded, “When?” There was no comment about what a valued employee. Oh, how difficult that person will be to replace. None of that. It was, “When are they leaving?”
What I tell young people is that you're building your legacy now. If you wait until you're 40 or 50 to concentrate on that and develop a consistent, friendly and helpful approach to people, you've waited too long. By the time you're 40 or 50, it's already established.
And my point is with Michael Gamilla and Evelyn Bailey, that's how they're remembered. What a tremendous loss to our community. And then people recount all the good things they did. They are two remarkable legacies.
Evelyn Bailey for carefully and thoughtfully documenting the LGBTQ community's history in this area including HIV, and Michael Gamilla, a cultural icon who brought gay cinema to Rochester.
Wow. Whenever somebody hears their names, that's what they talk about. And not only that, but what a decent person. So, if you want to build a legacy, don't wait.
Credit: ImageOut Facebook