Mr. Gathia Dunn, Jr., who has worked at Lake Forest Academy for six and a half years, agreed to sit with Spectator managing editor Allison Hechtman to talk about topics ranging from his life accomplishments to his favorite sport.

Photo Courtesy of lfanet.org

What exactly is your job title and what does it entail?

My job title is Athletic Office Manager for Lake Forest Academy’s athletics department, and that basically entails the scheduling of transportation, scheduling officials, scheduling meal money, making sure that transportation is set up for teams each day that they have to go out for events. There are some other little things that I do behind the scenes that help Mr. Madeley get some of that administrative work off his plate, and those are things like paying some of the bills, and making sure that stuff is ordered when we need equipment and supplies, things like that. So, all administrative work, basically.

What is your favorite thing about working at LFA?

Well, my favorite thing about working here is the students. I think you all are pretty courteous, you know, very respectful, and that’s what I like about LFA’s students because students today, such as at public schools, students today don’t have the discipline or respect that they should be giving to adults and I think that’s the reason why a lot of public schools are failing are because they don’t have that discipline. I think our students are pretty respectful, and that’s one of the things I like about LFA; the students are very respectful and they want to do what’s right.

Do you think that you appreciate discipline and respect so much because of your time in the military?

Yeah, that has a lot to do with it. That’s, you know, being in the military for 22 years gave me a lot of discipline. So, it’s still in me right now and it can be hard to loosen up as a civilian but I am starting to wind down a little bit, but I still have that want to get up and go drive that you just learn as a part of every day discipline in the military. I am starting to wind down a little bit; it’s like a transition from day to night.

What was your position in the military?

Actually, I did administrative [work] for the military also. That was my title: Personnel administrative specialist. So, I had to do the same thing. Soldiers have to eat, we have to order bullets, we have to order supplies, and those types of things, [such as] financial records, and I took care of all that stuff for those guys. I was the guy who had a typewriter on one hip and an M16 on the other.

Tell me a bit about your kids.

I have four kids, three sons and a daughter. Two of them are in the military now, my oldest son and my youngest son, and both of them have served overseas also. It kind of ticks me off that my sons have to do that because this is one of the reasons that I went to the military, to serve 22 years, so that my sons wouldn’t have to serve. But, I am proud of them, and as a soldier that’s our job, to support, to protect, and to defend the constitution, and I take strong value in that.

Do you have any interesting talents or quirks?

Interesting talents, no. I always wanted to play the saxophone growing up, and I bought a saxophone and everything and I tried it—horrible. I could not play. So, obviously I don’t have an ear for music, but that was one of my things; I love music, and I always wanted to play an instrument. I just never could pick [playing the saxophone] up. My son did play for a little while when he was growing up, but he gave it up also. He could play better than me, that’s for sure.

What do you do in your free time?

Well, if the weather was nice, like Florida, I would be an avid golfer here. I love the game of golf, that’s my passion right now. I like sports, basketball, baseball; I grew up playing those sports, golf I just picked up. It’s been about 20 years since I’ve learned to how to play golf, but I wish I learned that growing up also, playing golf when I was younger. That’s my passion, right now, I have an obsession with golf. I love that game because it’s such an individual game. It’s me against the golf course, not me against some other person. Golf course usually wins, but sometimes I have good days.