Gilbert Vaughn Hemsley Jr.

at Yale Drama School in 1960,[2] and worked as assistant to lighting designers Jean Rosenthal and Tharon Musser.

[3] He was already prominent enough to be put forward as a potential founding member of the APA-Phoenix, an early link between regional theater and Broadway.

Hemsley taught lighting design at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and was celebrated there for his generosity with students, many of whom served as assistants at New York City Opera and elsewhere.

A not-for-profit was set up to continue his legacy of training and career opportunities for early-career lighting designers.

[19] Many of his students, assistants, and mentorship-beneficiaries have gone on to careers (including directing and management, as well as design) at the major performing arts producing organizations in the United States.