In the fall of 1995, a young man of remarkable character and commitment arrived on the Blue Ridge School’s campus having traveled all the way from his home in Arizona. His name was Shaun Gehres. Shaun’s step-brother, Randy, was a student at Blue Ridge School and had enjoyed both academic and athletic achievements, and Shaun was eager to join him on the journey. Shaun likewise was determined to strengthen his academic skills while improving his athletic prowess so as to have the chance to enroll in a reputable college that would provide a steppingstone to success as a teacher and coach, which was his plan for a future career.
As the first weeks of the school year passed by, Shaun’s easy-going manner and his willingness to engage with his fellow students, be it in class, in the dorm, or on the athletic field, saw him quickly gathering friends and respect from the upperclassmen who recognized both the quality of his character as well as his good-natured approach and commitment to virtually everything he undertook.
Right from the very beginning as a youth, Shaun, who at an early age had developed a strong attraction to almost all things athletic, had eagerly participated in a variety of sports. His two favorites were football and wrestling. One of the reasons he elected to come to Blue Ridge School was the opportunity to participate in both of these programs.
From the very first days of the fall athletic season, Shaun eagerly signed up for football. At that time, the number of students wanting to take to the gridiron were sufficient to provide enough participants for both the Varsity and Junior Varsity teams. The football program was overwhelmed by the numbers, and, in order to provide all the boys who wanted to play, for the first time a third level of football was created. Shaun, then a sophomore, was placed on the new “Varsity B” team. It did not take the coaches at the “Varsity A” level very long to recognize the talent and commitment Shaun possessed before promoting him to the “A” team. Shaun’s talent, ability to develop his skills, and devotion to giving his all to strive for his own improvement and that of the team earned widespread respect.
When the winter season’s sports took the athletic spotlight, Blue Ridge’s wrestling coach, Paul Fehlner, quickly recognized Shaun’s remarkable potential. It was in this sport that Shaun’s athletic skills showed the brightest and garnered the keenest attention. During the three years that Shaun took to the mat while at Blue Ridge, the wrestling room stands were packed with spectators. His fellow students and many of the faculty rushed to garner a good seat in the stands, so as to observe Shaun’s lightning quick movements, flips, escapes from an opponent’s hold, and pins on the mat. His moves were both swift, graceful, and powerful, and his opponents almost always found themselves pinned and hearing the referee’s hand slap down on the mat. Shaun was a state champion his junior year and finished undefeated in his senior campaign before a season ending injury sidelined him the week prior to the state championship.
As Shaun entered his senior year at Blue Ridge, his reputation as a well behaved and responsible young man, earned him one of the school’s highest and most respected student leadership positions. He was named as a Prefect, and Shaun was assigned to serve in that position on the Upper North Hall in Walsh Dorm. There he, along with the faculty dorm master living there, handled twenty underclassmen from ninth to eleventh graders. For Shaun, this was a transformative experience, as he assumed the responsibilities of guiding and advising the underclassmen so that they could grow to be more mature and responsible young men. He provided advice, encouragement, correction when needed, support, and a willingness to listen to their concerns. It was a responsibility given to only those young men who had the maturity and good character to set the best example and demonstrate care and concern for their peers. In this assignment, Shaun measured up to the task.
During his three years at Blue Ridge, Shaun’s progress and development attracted a number of college coaches eager to encourage him to consider joining their programs. Coach Fehlner, Coach Woodward, and Shaun weighed the options for his best opportunity at a good education. By Shaun’s senior year, he decided to enroll in and play football at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee. This provided him the opportunity to join two of his Blue Ridge School friends, Mason Howell and Ryan Crackel, which allowed for his continued “Baron Brothers” ties that made the transition that much easier.
Shaun was immediately impressed by his professors, who taught with enthusiasm and evidenced a considerable love for their subject. He particularly enjoyed his history classes, which ignited within him the desire to pursue a teaching career.
After completing college, Shaun immediately set out to seek employment as a teacher and coach, and after visiting several prep schools, he decided to take the offer from Memphis University School in Tennessee, which was an all-boys day school for grades seven through twelve. He also took on the role of a varsity football and wrestling coach, an assignment which he very much enjoyed. However, there was one other event that had a significant impact on him. While at Rhodes, Shaun met, fell in love with, and then married that very special Memphis lady who would bring him great happiness and two children, a son in 2005 and a daughter in 2009 into his life.
For nine years, Shaun served on the faculty of the Memphis University School, but he and his wife decided to move westward in 2009 and plant their family roots back in his wife’s hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Once settled, Shaun was offered a job in the city’s public school system as a coach in the football and wrestling programs. After a short while, Shaun’s reputation as an able coach, earned him a position in 2011 at one of the city’s best college preparatory schools, Albuquerque Academy, where he would also teach history to ninth graders, which he took charge of for ten years. Then in 2021, Shaun was promoted to the administrative position of Admission Projects Manager, where he now serves, along with being the head varsity football coach and the Director of the Student Athlete College Outreach Program.
Shaun very much enjoys his life as a teacher, coach, and administrator. Those of us here at Blue Ridge School remember him with considerable affection and respect. We know him to be one of our very best.
