‘Security Dads’ spend decades mentoring high school students

BATON ROUGE, La. (Aging Untold) — A group of men known as the Security Dads has spent decades guiding and looking out for students at Glen Oaks High School in Baton Rouge, and they are looking to recruit more participants for their organization.

The group is a lunchtime tradition at the school. Men dressed in red offer students support and a smile.

“A lot of kids here don’t have dads in the homes, so we act as I would say granddads now. We started off as dads,” Granville Townsel said.

The group organized in 1993 after Glen Oaks student Marlon Wells was shot and killed on campus. That was the day Eric Randall says he lost his best friend.

“We grew up through the Little League. We grew up through grade school, and that morning, I still can remember it. It was right behind you where it occurred in the bus lane,” Randall said.

Randall, principal of Glen Oaks, still welcomes the men from his old neighborhood to uplift his students.

“Some of these guys used to run behind us in the neighborhood, and now they’re on canes, but they’re still going,” Randall said.

Tommie Stout leads the group. The 73-year-old said he remains determined to make a difference in students’ lives.

“They walk by. Sometime that’s all they need is a hug,” Stout said. “To see a friendly face, see somebody who actually cares.”

Stout is at the school four days a week with the other “Security Dads” men in their late 60s and 70s who still feel the need to show up.

Group seeks new members

The Security Dads ministry is looking for more men willing to keep their mission going.

“If I can recruit maybe two or three per year, we’ll be able to keep this program going because right now this is the generation we’ve got,” Stout said.

The men are in their golden years and ready to pass the baton on to the next generation, but they have struggled to make that connection with younger dads.

“I would give ourselves another five years. This might be the last generation if we don’t get new members, and start trying to grow this organization. That’s our biggest challenge,” Stout said.

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