SAD 4 Superintendent Paul Stearns had some tough decisions to make recently, decisions that involved not only the welfare of a student, who played varsity basketball, but also the students who could contract the pertussis – whooping cough – by being exposed to the player’s cough, sneeze, or spit from a talk.

This can be pretty complicated stuff, all things considered, especially for a guy like Stearns who entered the educational profession to teach science and to coach basketball and soccer.

Like everything else in Stearns’ life, he handled it smoothly and with a great deal of professionalism. You see, this guy is a worker. His job is to promote his kids, his district, and their well-being.

The good folks in Guilford, Sangerville, Abbot, Parkman, Cambridge and Wellington are fortunate indeed to have such a man as Paul Stearns at the helm of their school district.

I first met the likeable Stearns when we teamed together to run the old YMCA day camp, Camp Prentiss, in Hampden. Back in those days, we did everything from cooking hot dogs for the kids, to supervising outdoor activities.

It was a great experience for a couple of college kids, who still lived in the shadow of guys like Bob Kelley and Bob Cimbollek, two popular former directors. Paul always made the day fun for the youngsters, and I especially enjoyed the sing-alongs Stearns and I initiated at the end of each day.

Paul was quite a card, and the kids hung on his every word.

About the time Paul and I were running the show, McDonald’s restaurant introduced its Big Mac sandwich. You remember the one: Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun.

We got the whole camp singing the jingle “Big Mac, big mac, uh, uh.” That type of thing. I would sing the verse from my office window, and the entire camp would come alive with the chorus.

It was a daily ritual at Prentiss, initiated, of course, by Paul. How he loved to get the kids going.

In later years, as a teacher and a coach, Stearns was noted for a combination of wit and discipline, not a bad thing in the educational world.

Today, Paul hangs his hat as head man in a school district which is long on student services and short on patience for those who aren’t serious about school work. Paul’s office and the inherent professionalism and progress which come with it, were forged by a guy named Norm Higgins who, as superintendent, initiated landmark strides in the field of computer education, which put SAD 4 on the national map.

As the whooping cough dilemma subsides, how it was treated by SAD 4 and surrounding districts is a clear indication Stearns and his fellow Piscataquis County administrators handled the situation like pros.

The Big Mac chorus was an early testament to a young man’s capacity to lead a large group in a common theme that turned out just right. A tip of the hat to him today.

30-Second Time Out

Our thoughts and our prayers go out to the family of Peter Webb, Maine Basketball commissioner, who lost their precious mother and grandmother, Mary, to illness.

Mrs. Webb was a longtime Houlton native, who had experienced poor health for some time.

One of Peter’s sons, Michael, is the girls varsity basketball coach at John Bapst Memorial High School in Bangor. Kyle Webb, one of Peter’s other sons, is a well-known high school and college basketball official. Our sympathies go out to all of them.

BDN columnist Ron Brown, a retired high school basketball coach, can be reached at bdnsports@bangordailynews.net