BEAVERCREEK — Officially, the “S” in S. Jack Gayheart stands for Samuel.
But it could easily mean selfless, as that’s exactly what Gayheart has been since beginning his professional career as a Fairborn teacher in the 1960s. And that is a big reason the Fairborn resident received the 2017 E.J. Nutter Award during the Greene County Annual Report to the Community April 21 at Beavercreek Golf Club.
The Nutter Award is given to honor and recognize people who have distinguished themselves and brought benefit to Greene County while keeping in line with the E.J. Nutter tradition.
You name it, Gayheart dabbled in it, and more often than not, Fairborn schools benefited.
He coached baseball, basketball, track and was a counselor. Gayheart was a Fairborn City Schools Board of Education member from 1976 to 1984 and after that, served as chairperson of the Fairborn City Schools Business Advisory Council. His fund-raising efforts on behalf of Fairborn athletics helped fuel his contribution of more than $500,000.
And in 2014 he was inducted in the inaugural class of the Fairborn City Schools Athletic Hall of Fame.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” Gayheart said. “I’m extremely honored and humbled by receiving this award today. Life’s been great in Greene County.”
Upon leaving teaching, Gayheart pursued a career in real estate and property management. He is the current owner and president of J.R. Remick Incorporated, a management and consulting firm. Through his work in real estate, he was named manager of the year by the Dayton Institute of Real Estate Management and received the Chamber President’s Award in 1987 and 1991, the W. Ed Duncan Distinguished Citizen Award and the Volunteer of the Year Award — all by the Fairborn Chamber of Commerce.
But the list of honors isn’t why Gayheart did what he did.
“You don’t do things for recognition,” he said. “You do them because in your heart you want to help people. Hopefully doing the right things for the right reason.”
Among the organizations he has been associated with are: Dayton Chapter of the Institute of Real Estate Management; Building Owners and Managers Association; People’s Saving Bank board of directors; Fairborn Chamber of Commerce; Greene County Area Progress Council; Challenge 95 Committee; Greene County Country Club; Fairborn Rotary Club; Fairborn Lions Club; and Greene County Community Foundation.
The Hazard, Ky., native has been married to his wife, Judy, for more than 50 years. He has two sons, Christopher and Kirk, and a daughter, Kerri. The Gayhearts have six grandchildren: Casey, Corey, Jake, Elisabeth, Carter, and Conner.
