I dare not let Coach Jason Gunter retire from his position as being an educator in our school district for fifty (50) continual years without giving him his due honor. I met Coach Gunter way back in 1969, when I was a senior at Gordon High School.
Coach Gunter was fresh out of college in his early twenties when I first met him (initially at football practice).
He was tall with a well-developed muscular frame. It was eye catching and evident to everyone that he took much stock in physical fitness.
One of his assignments that Coach Willie Fred Daniels had given him was to work with the linemen on both sides of the ball. Being a guard who played on both offense and defense, I learned a lot from Coach Gunter that year.
Though I had been playing on the varsity team since my ninth grade, Coach Gunter helped to take my skills to a whole new level. What impressed me about Mr. Gunter was not just his coaching ability, but his no-nonsense and firm way of dealing with both the football players and general student body.
Unlike a few others, who I had gotten to know (who were fresh out of college and only a few years older than some of the students they taught and interacted with), Mr. Gunter never allowed himself to be drawn into a compromising position with his students. This was especially true for the females who naturally admired and respected him for his looks and position as an educator and coach. He distinguished himself as a man of character and integrity not only with the student body, but also among his faculty peers.
I will never forget when Mr. Gunter married his wife, Betty.
They were neighbors of my wife and I for quite a few years. The Gunters were good neighbors and were great assets to our neighborhood.
They served as mentors and counselors to many young people who regarded them highly. Mr. Gunter was and is a man of conviction who I believe is a devout follower of Jesus Christ.
He has been a member of Manning Baptist Missionary Church where he has served faithfully for many years in various capacities.
Perhaps his greatest and most effective contribution at the church has been in the area of the Sunday School department.
Mr. Gunter served for quite a few years as the Superintendent of Sunday School. He makes himself available to teach as a substitute teacher when he is needed.
However, in spite of all the great and commendable contributions that Coach Gunter has made to the well-being of both his church and neighborhood, the area where he has excelled for fifty years has been in the area of education. Having a wife and a daughter who are educators, I am fully aware of what teachers, guidance counselors, principals, and coaches go through in regard to dealing with both students and their parents. For fifty long years, Coach Gunter has been an educator on three fronts.
First and foremost, he has served as an instructor in the classroom.
Mr. Gunter has met the challenge to inspire and instruct students to take advantage of their opportunity to get an education in order to be able to advance as an adult (whether they chose college, the military, or the job market).
Many within the time frame of his tenure owe a debt of gratitude to him for his effort to help equip them for life.
Secondly, Mr. Gunter also served as an assistant principal and the primary male disciplinarian at Dillon High School for many years. Mr. Gunter has had to get down in the trenches to deal with both parents and students in order to ensure adherence to the rules and proper order.
It would be good if I could say that every time he had to deal with a parent who had a child who was misbehaving at school was easy because the parent was on the side of maintaining order and obedience at school.
Nevertheless, knowing people as I know them (especially my people) nothing could be further from the truth. Though in his tenure he has had some very cooperative parents who made his job very easy, but on the other end of the spectrum there were some who made his job very difficult because they sided with their children who were defiant and disorderly.
Yet in spite of all the challenges and conflicts he has encountered as the primary disciplinarian at Dillon High School, Mr. Gunter has managed to do a commendable job in that capacity.
However, at the end of the day, what has caused him to be a standout and even iconic influence in our area was his role as a coach. Coach Gunter has been a stabilizing and impactful mentor and motivator for fifty years who has touched the lives of untold hundreds of people who were fortunate enough to experience his leadership on and off the gridiron field.
As I stated from the onset, I met Coach Jason Gunter fifty years ago when he was a freshman educator and coach and I was a senior in high school. I am one of the many who can attest to the fact that he has played an important role in helping to lay the foundation that has given so many of us a solid platform from which to launch.
Thank you, Coach, for all that you have given to this community for so many years that has indeed enriched all of our lives. I personally thank you for reading my weekly column and encouraging me to continue to write (when we occasionally meet). It is people like you who keeps the pen that is greater than the sword in my hand.
