As he’s strolling through the hallways of Wenatchee High School, he’s greeted by numerous students and faculty alike.

“How are you doing Mr. Shoemake?” one student may ask.

“I’m well and I’m blessed,” he’ll say, as he’s been known to do.

His jovial presence, tall stature, long, white beard, and thick Mississippi accent make him stand out amongst the other teachers at Wenatchee High School. Indeed he’s not your average substitute teacher. Don Shoemake is much more — a principled man, one full of school spirit, one sporting a lifetime of travel, and diverse experience that makes him one of the most interesting staff members at WHS.

In school, he’s usually seen in the classroom, or in the halls, however it’s out of school that demonstrates the contrast between Shoemake and the other substitute teachers. He goes to every football, basketball, baseball, and generally every sporting event he can. Junior baseball player Jacob Prater spoke on the effect of having a staff member on the sidelines who is not a full-time teacher.

“Mr. Shoemake loves Wenatchee High School sports,” Prater said. “He’s an avid follower of the baseball team. He follows the team religiously.”

Also, Prater said Shoemake is a huge inspiration to the team.

“Having him around makes you happy. It keeps you wanting to play well,” Prater said.

Shoemake has always had a great love for sports. He lists it fourth on his list of the five most important things to him, the first being God, the second being family and friends, third being country, and fifth being Wenatchee High School. Shoemake has been involved in sports since his upbringing in Jackson, Miss., where he was born in 1947 and subsequently raised. He played varsity basketball at Central High School where he graduated in 1965, and eventually received a scholarship to play for Millsap College in Mississippi, where he played from 1965 to 1966. In that year he was drafted into the armed services to help with the Vietnam War. Shoemake chose to go into the Air Force, where he served from 1966 to 1970, when he was honorably discharged.

Shoemake said his time in the military was “life changing,” as he saw many underdeveloped countries and how little they had compared to the United States.

“It made me appreciate many things I had taken for granted in this country, such as clean water and running water, lights, electricity, indoor plumbing,” Shoemake said.

Although Shoemake was supportive of the war in Vietnam, he said, “That [the casualties from the war] had a profound impact on me. 58,479 of my brothers and sisters did not return from the Vietnam War. There’s not a single day that goes by where I don’t think about them.”

Shoemake was in favor of the war as it was a means to halt the spread of communism, however he called it the “most mismanaged war in the history of the United States.”

After he was honorably discharged and returned to civilian life, Shoemake returned to college, graduating from the University of Mississippi in 1973 with a degree in general science. He used this to get a job as a high school teacher in Mississippi, where he taught chemistry and served as the head coach for the boys basketball team for two years.

Shoemake left the educational world though, instead pursuing a career in sales. He entered the business world as a salesman for medical equipment, selling things as the machines for CT scans and MRIs. He worked in the field for 35 years, and with it came a great amount of travel. He started out in his hometown of Jackson, but his various jobs and promotions took him all over the country. Throughout his sales career he lived in St. Louis, Chicago, Sacramento, Seattle, and Eugene, but he traveled even more, visiting every state in the union.

Eventually he and his wife settled in Wenatchee to be near his daughter, son-in-law, and two grandchildren. He retired from his job in sales management in 2010. In 2011, he started working as a substitute teacher for the Wenatchee School District.

Shoemake said he loves the Wenatchee community because it’s a healthy environment.

“I like the four seasons, and the drier climate here is good for my rheumatoid arthritis,” Shoemake said. “I love fruit, and there’s an abundance here. It’s just a very neat place to live.”

As for teaching, Shoemake enjoys being a substitute, because he gets to have an estimated 150 different students every day. This allows him the ability to get to know more students, something he treasures greatly. He has an affinity for those more involved, citing the athletes, musicians, actors and actresses. Knowing these kids inspires Shoemake and gives him an incredible amount of school spirit.

“I live in East Wenatchee,” Shoemake said, “but my heart is in Wenatchee.”

It’s obvious by the smile on his face and thrill in his voice when he speaks about teaching, educating the youth, the future of America, that he truly loves it.

“I love what I do,” Shoemake said. “I will keep teaching as long as I am physically able.”