by JIM CULLEN
Deputy Pittman has already spent a few days of well-earned retirement after his last ten years of service as School Resource Officer for Barton and Wallace middle schools. Before he left, though, he had many warm expressions of caring from students he’d worked with, like eighth grader A’Donte Thomas and seventh grader Kelsey McInerney. (Photo by Jim Cullen)
For those who did not have the honor of working with him, the first question asked is, “Who’s Gene Pittman?” In fact, to those at Barton and Wallace Middle School who did have that honor of working with him, the use of his first name may draw an initial quizzical look.
To most all – educators and students, as well – who knew him during his stint as a School Resource Officer for the district, he was “Officer Pittman” or “Deputy Pittman.”
At last glance, his district email ID is still in the directory as “Deputy Pittman.”
His given name was not widely known. He was – and is – the kind of man who the people naturally afford respect – without it ever being asked or demanded.
Pittman had accumulated a broad resume of service to his country before he spent a day in Hays CISD. He joined the United States Marine Corps in 1961 and spent 1967-1968 in Vietnam. He left the service in 1974 as a Staff Sergeant and enrolled at New Mexico Junior College for Nursing and worked as an LPN for the next six years.
He became Deputy Sheriff for the Lea County (New Mexico) Sheriff’s Office and served in that role until 1988 before joining the New Mexico Corrections Department and working at the New Mexico State Prison.
From that job, he came to Hays County and joined the Hays County Sheriff’s Office and in 2000 was assigned to Barton and Wallace middle schools as School Resource Officer.
From that time on, his day-to-day life became one of representing authority, but not of the heavy-handed variety. Deputy Pittman was respected, but he was also loved, especially by the students with whom he found himself working. Words of praise from district administrators are uniform in their praise.
Barton Middle School Principal Chris Ulcak, commenting on Pittman’s departure shortly before it actually happened, admitted, “I’m not allowing myself to think of it. I can’t bring myself to think of us without him.” Wallace Middle School Principal Brenda Agnew admired his commitment, noting the fact that her SRO “treated the students as if they were his own,” many of them, Agnew said, calling him “Grandpa.”
“He accepted after-school responsibilities such as football, volleyball and basketball games so that he could spend more time learning about and connecting with our students,” Agnew said, adding, “I cannot explain how much he is going to be missed.”
And speaking for district administration, Maggie Ortunio referred to the retiring Pittman as “truly a positive asset in our schools…He demonstrated a true professionalism as a School Resource Officer and is respected by everyone.” Ortunio pointed to the many communications and interactions Pittman had with hundreds of students and the positive role model he presented while counseling those students as well as providing security for his two campuses.
And what did Deputy Pittman have to say on reflecting back over his years with the district? As might be expected, he remembers only the positive.
“I like to recall all of the fun that I have had with the Barton and Wallace families, staffs and students. You can’t put a monetary value on it. It is hard to put into words how hard it is to leave.”
Students and teachers at two HCISD campuses agree – it was hard to see him go.
