It’s a Friday afternoon and as students file into the first room on the left in the math hall, W.F. Sullivan greets them with a big smile and a “How’re ya doin’?” Although the students are worried about receiving the grades of a test taken the previous class, they feel somewhat comforted when asked the familiar question that only Coach Sullivan would ask, “You wanna take it like a man?” Coach Sullivan’s made-up terms will always make any Chapin student feel better no matter the day they may be having. Whether he’s commenting on a test grade saying, “That’s the big T.M. – Tough Mustard” or trying to comfort students and making light of a math problem, “Sullivan-isms” are one of the many reasons he is a one-of-a-kind teacher and coach.

Sullivan is most well-known for the stories he shares about his life during class. He is perhaps most well-known for the comical and surreal nature of these stories. Sullivan attended two high schools: Allendale Fairfax High School and Denmark-Olar High School. While attending these two schools, he played football. Coach Sullivan’s football experience is one of his favorite subjects when telling stories. When asked what he remembered most about playing football he said that during one game he tackled a guy so hard that the guy’s eyeball fell out, a glass eye, but no one knew it was glass at the time. Another memory he had from football was when he tackled someone and he kicked Sullivan in the mouth and knocked two of his teeth out. They looked for his teeth, but never could find them. During this time period, blood-borne pathogens were not an issue so players got back on to the field even though they were bleeding. “The coach told me they needed me out there so I got back in the game and kept playing,” Sullivan said. Ironically, the guy who knocked his teeth out is a dentist now.

Sullivan carried on his love of sports into his teaching career by coaching several different teams. He coached football for thirty years as the defensive coordinator, girls basketball for about twenty years, track for four years, and was the only other tennis coach before Coach Rodgers for between two and four years. Sullivan coached football with Cecil Woolbright, whom the Chapin High School football stadium is named after. When he was coaching football the team won two state championships in 1973 and 1974, playing against Bamberg-Ehrhardt High School. Chapin has won no state championships in football since that time. He also led the Chapin High Jazz Band and admires the Pride of the Midlands saying, “The band works just as hard as football players – both have played a big part in my life.”

Sullivan first thought he would be a band director, but after two years of college decided to go into math and physics. He taught both subjects at Chapin High School. Sullivan taught for two years at Lexington High School, before going to teach at Chapin for the past forty four years. He was one of the first teachers at Chapin High School when he began teaching there in 1970. During his time at Chapin he has taught thousands of students, soon even teaching the grandchild of one of his past students in the next three years.

Several students were asked why they think Sullivan is such a legend. Mandy Bidinger said, “He’s really good with numbers and he can do large complicated problems. Because he has been here so long, he has so many stories to tell and is so well-known in the community.” Jenna Hill said, “Mr. Sullivan is such a legend because he has been here so long and has seen Chapin High School at every stage. Between his stories, his mental calculator, and his made up phrases, he’s definitely an asset to this school.” Nick Auch said, “I would say because he is the smartest mathematician I have ever met and he knows every SAT trick in the book.”

Former student Tim Slice also spoke about his experience with Sullivan while attending Chapin High School. He said, “Coach Sullivan gives 100 percent in the classroom as he did when he coached. You want to what Chapin High School is? It’s Coach Sullivan. He has made an impact on all students for 44 years at Chapin. One word to describe Coach Sullivan is ‘passionate.’”

If one were to ask the Chapin students about W.F. Sullivan, their responses would all be the same; W.F. Sullivan is Chapin, in spirit, in mind, and in heart. Sullivan’s passion for children, daily integrity, and love of Chapin High School has his influence far reaching throughout the Chapin family. W.F. Sullivan is legendary throughout Chapin and his legacy continues to grow in the eyes of the many people who look up to him.