Longtime Fultondale High School educator Mike Gillespie has retired after 28 years at the school. 

FULTONDALE—After 28 years of service for the Jefferson County school system, Mike Gillespie has officially hung up his whistle.

While at Fultondale High School, Gillespie worked as the band director, head baseball coach and girls junior high basketball coach.

When asked what’s next, he slid back in his chair and imagined all the afternoon naps he’ll soon be taking.

“My goal is to get up out of bed when my wife gets home from work,” he joked. “Whether she’ll let me do that or not, no idea, but that’s what I’d love to have happen.”

Gillespie graduated from Fultondale in 1981 and continued his education at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. After college, he worked as a substitute teacher for a short time before landing a job at Curry High School in the fall of 1987. He worked in Jasper for two years until a job opened up at his alma mater. Other opportunities have appeared over the years, but Gillespie spent 28 of his 30 years as an educator with the Wildcats.

“I did exactly what I wanted to do, where I wanted to do it. I didn’t have any desire to go get another band director job some place,” he said on Thursday.

Gillespie admits that, after so many years, he has experienced some burnout.

“I’m not as relevant to the kids as I was last year or five years ago, and I see that and I could sit around a draw a check, but get someone in here with a little fire in their belly and smarter than I am that’s not split between this and running a baseball program, come in here and just be a band director and there’s no telling what these kids will be able to achieve,” said Gillespie.

He plans to stick around for summer work with the drumline and color guard until the vacancy is filled.

What will he miss about Fultondale? It’s quite simple: the kids.

Whether it’s seeing who’s grown four inches over the summer break or aiding a young person in a time of need, Mike Gillespie will miss the career which has been oh so rewarding.

Erik Harris is the Sports Editor of The North Jefferson News. Email him at njnsports@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jeharris2.