One of the most lovable men on campus and a member of the Academy of the Holy Names’ family is Officer Jack Hair. We all know him for his dedication and commitment to the protection and well being of our students, but Officer Hair goes beyond that. To get to know Officer Hair and all he does for our school, continue reading to see how he goes above and beyond your typical school officer.

Every morning, high school students make their way over the bridge with a “not so delighted” expression on their face, but it instantly changes when they hear one of Officer Hair’s many catch phrases. His simple phrases such as, “smile” and, “Good morning, Sunshine” are just one of the many ways Officer Hair makes students’ mornings easier.

Officer Hair finds it important that student show their smiling faces to everyone around them. “None of them are ever smiling. I’m trying to break the habit. People need to see you smile!”

However, a typical day for Officer Hair involves more than just his good morning greetings.

Every morning, Officer Hair arrives on campus at 4:30am to begin his daily duties. He is responsible for opening up the gates, unlocking the doors, and turning on all of the school’s lights.

When students arrive, Officer Hair works traffic control for the morning arrival of elementary and high school students, and he later returns to his post at dismissal time.

In addition to keeping our school safe, there are many tasks Officer Hair does for students throughout the school day. He goes through and checks the high school parking lot to make sure students do not have any car problems such as a flat tire or a turned on car light.

No matter the problem, Officer Hair ensures the students are taken care of. “One time I had a student leave their keys in the ignition, the radio and lights on – but it was okay. We contacted the student and got the problem fixed.”

Another thing students associate Officer Hair with is his notorious golf cart. Whenever a student is ill, injured, or catches him at the right time he takes her across MacDill to avoid the laborious walk across the bridge.

Everyone knows and appreciates Officer Hair’s contributions to our school, but many are unaware of his life prior to being our school security guard.

Before working for AHN, Officer Hair was a part of the Tampa Police, spending 12 years on the motorcycle force to help control and keep the streets of Tampa safe.

After retiring, Officer Hair worked at many different public schools for crime prevention. As a Corporal at one point, he worked and was responsible for sixty schools.

Officer Hair eventually came to work for Academy thanks to famed Yankee’s owner, George Steinbrenner.

Steinbrenner’s grandchildren were to attend AHN, and insisted that Officer Hair work as the school’s police officer. Having been on the police force for so long, Officer Hair had developed a friendship with Steinbrenner. “I did a lot of motorcycle guidance for him and we became personal friends.”

Steinbrenner not only hired Officer Hair, but he bought his golf cart and paid his salary. Originally, Officer Hair was told the job would be a twenty-hour week, but when the first week passed, he learned most weeks would actually be about sixty hours. This, however, was not a problem for Officer Hair because he loves what he does. “I don’t mind [long hours]. It’s fun.”

Officer Hair has been keeping Academy safe for almost a decade now, allowing him to see many of the school’s changes. Some may think the crowded parking lot is bad, but when he first arrived, it was a dirt lot with a fence that barely closed.

He not only puts time and commitment into his job, but he finds happiness in what he does. “I enjoy it here. The kids here have no problems or fights and everything’s fun.” He has also seen many students grow up and leave Academy, but a majority of them always come back as mature women.

Officer Hair’s tenth anniversary falls this week (December 1st), so be sure to thank and show your appreciation for all he has done and will do for our school!