Brother Earl Gilbert passed away at the age of 97 on May 11th, 2023. Brother Gilbert was a 68 year member of Local 728 who took his oath of obligation in November 1954. Earl was a "Gaffer's Gaffer" who is widely considered to have been one of the greatest Chief Lighting Technicians in Local 728's history.

His list of credits as a CLT are noteworthy and include, but are not limited to:

The Graduate, Clue, Chinatown, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, Norma Rae, The Bad News Bears, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Mr. Mom, National Lampoon's Vacation, The Jerk, And Justice For All and The Last Tycoon.