By Craig Williams 

Growing up in rural, mid-century Cobden through the early years of the Cold War, Don Baggott probably never imagined that one day he’d serve as both a non-commissioned and commissioned officer in the United States Army. From his humble perch, working the land with his family in Union County, Illinois, it may have been difficult for him to ever imagine serving his country with distinction for 27 years, flying every helicopter the Army asked him to pilot, or attaining the rank of Major, but that’s exactly what he did.

Today, and every school day since 1995, he’s been piloting a very different kind of vehicle — school buses. Actually, that’s not very precise; he’s been leading a 13-member team of bus drivers who cover, on average, nearly 2,500 miles per week across nine separate routes. He’s responsible for monitoring fuel consumption, safety logs, driver preparedness, payroll, maintenance, and the safety of each and every child who attends Meridian, whether they’re a bus rider or not. That’s a heap of responsibility. Without someone like Don at the helm of transportation services, something we all take for granted — like children being seated on-time in classrooms and ready to learn every day — is just a theoretical possibility. Don doesn’t make a big deal of it, though; that’s not who he is. As he did for 27 years in the U.S. Army, piloting virtually every imaginable helicopter in the service of our Country, Don goes about his business with a kind of quiet confidence and humility. Because that’s who he is.

In the interview for this story, Don shared with me that one of his primary goals in life is to see kids grow up and prosper. He recognizes that his drivers may be the first or last friendly face Meridian students see at the beginning or end of their day, and so he works hard to train his team, and really emphasizes the importance that they make the most of that moment by greeting and seeing the children off with a smile. Like so many mentors in his own life growing up rural, Don sees the value of what strong role models in Meridian can mean to a student’s trajectory. In fact, he shared with me that he’s seen kids leave Meridian to do tremendous things in healthcare, tech, the trades, and business. His own step-daughter, who graduated from Meridian nearly two decades ago, has a high level job with Microsoft serving the Federal Government, and so when I asked him if he saw opportunity in sharing with today’s Meridian students that “what one person can do, another can do,” he quickly shot back, “That’s exactly right. And our kids need to know that there are no limits to what they can do or become. Set your goals high,” he said, “and just go for it.”

Were I a Meridian student today, considering my future, that’s the kind of advice I’d happily accept from a man who has so admirably served his country and his community: “Set your goals high and just go for it.”

Fact is, Don Baggott has made a tremendous difference in every role he’s ever played but, perhaps more so than any other, his role as a quiet mentor from just beyond the spotlight’s edge, speaks more loudly than any other. Whatever the future may hold for Meridian students, it’s a better place because of his time here.