John Masterson admits freely his blood runs red and black, the school colors of his beloved Allen Community College.
There’s a reason for that, Masterson explained Friday.
It’s not the college; it’s the people.
To wit, Masterson regaled two of his mentors, the late Hugh Haire and T.C. Brown, both of whom left their marks on the community college over 30-year stretches through the latter half of the 20th century.
Masterson spoke during a ceremony in which conference rooms were officially named for Haire and Brown.
He and his wife, Georgia, were given the honor of naming the rooms in response to a recent financial gift they made to the college.
“It makes it easier to support your college with your dollars when you believe in what’s going on,” Masterson said. “And I still believe with all my heart in what’s going on out here.”
Masterson retired as ACC president last summer.
Haire came to Iola in 1956 after serving in the Navy in World War II, where he taught both at Iola High School and ACC, when it was still known as Iola Junior College and located on the third floor at IHS.
Masterson figured he was about 12 years old the first time he saw Haire coaching at a basketball game.
“He always wore red to the games,” Masterson recalled. “Red tie, red socks.”
When the opportunity arose, first in high school and then in junior college, Masterson enrolled in every class Haire taught.
“He made the classes so interesting,” Masterson recalled. “He was prepared every time. It didn’t matter if he was playing a basketball game on the road, and didn’t get back until 12:30 or 1 o’clock in the morning. If you were in his 8 o’clock psychology class, you’d better be ready, because he was.
“He was an excellent teacher,” Masterson said. “The best teacher I ever had.”
The subject matter often mattered less than how Haire taught, Masterson explained.
When Masterson left the college to enter the professional world, only to return a few years later as an academic advisor and coach, Haire was still around, as the dean of students and athletic director.
But he remained a teacher at heart.
“I learned so much just from being around him,” Masterson recalled. “He taught me how to know the personalities and players, to know which ones you could be tough with, and which ones you needed to be softer with.”
