Editor's Note: This is the first of a multi-part series profiling essential members of the College community who make Dartmouth operate smoothly every day.
Who would have thought that a boy who broke his brother's nose twice would become one of the most popular Safety and Security officers at Dartmouth? Most of us have bumped -- or stumbled -- into Sergeant Gregory Timmins and have come to learn that underneath the intimidating uniform and serious mustache is one of the friendliest people on campus. Few know, however, that he is also a former dairy farmer, a playful younger brother and an adoring father of two.
Timmins hasn't always been on the authoritative side of mischief. As a boy growing up in Moorestown, N.J., little Timmins and his older brother spent their free time playing war with the neighborhood kids. According to Timmins, he and his brother quickly discovered that horse chestnuts and cattails could be powerful weapons.
"The horse chestnuts had spikes, and we'd throw them at each other. With the cattails, we'd get them when they're nice and dry and beat each other with them, and they'd burst open," Timmins said.
Another favorite activity was to explore the mental hospital that was across the street from their house.
"We'd always go there and play and get chased by the police and run," Timmins said.
Sometimes they didn't even have to leave their home for excitement.
When Timmins was eight, a mental patient escaped and entered his house from the basement. Timmins' brother awoke to find the patient leaning over his bed. Luckily, she was harmless and just confused.
Timmins stated, though, that school interested him less than his other pursuits as a child. He struggled with dyslexia and had a difficult time with English and math.
History fascinated Timmins, but nevertheless, after graduating from high school, he swore off academics.
He subsequently enlisted in the Navy, where he was stationed in Norfolk, Va., for four years. While serving his country, Timmins traveled throughout the Mediterranean several times, visiting Spain, France and Italy. Timmins noted that the travel experience was especially meaningful because of his love of history.
"It was fun because a lot of the places we went to were [previously] occupied by the Germans," Timmins said. He fondly remembers visiting Gaeta, Italy, and exploring the tunnels the Germans built to store their ammunition.
Despite his prior resistance to schooling, his opinion toward academics changed after returning from the Navy. He was working as a construction worker and one day decided to apply for college.
"I don't know whether it was because I smashed my thumb one too many times or had one too many beers, but I saw a commercial for Champlain College and called up my mom and said, 'I wanna go to school; what do I have to do?'" Timmins said.
That fall, he enrolled in Champlain College in Vermont to study law enforcement.
Although he never intended to be an officer, the position was one in which he had an expressed interest. He graduated with a GPA above 3.0, proving wrong his high school guidance counselor, who once asserted that Timmins would never make it through college.
But it was still years after completing his education before he turned to law enforcement. In the interim between Champlain and Dartmouth, Timmins was a dairy farmer, an Orkin pest control man and an EMT for the Upper Valley ambulance.
Timmins stated he came to Dartmouth because he was "tired of death and dying and wanted to do something different." He quickly discovered that the position at the College not only fulfilled all his interests, but was uniquely attuned to his personal strengths. Timmins said he hopes to remain with Safety and Security until he retires.
His compassionate yet authoritative manner has won him many friends and respect among Dartmouth students, a respect he reciprocates.
"The biggest thing I've learned here is that the students are really great. Graduation is the worst time. We've had them for four years and now they're moving on," Timmins said.
But students often are not gone for long. A few weeks ago he got a call for a party at the Tom Dent Cabin that had gone on longer than it was supposed to. When he arrived, he was greeted to a cabin-full of alumni shouting, "Timmins!" They were back for a wedding party.
It's not surprising that Timmins, who's known for his amiable nature, especially loves working with the Greek houses because it allows him to interact with the students regularly. As a result, many students see Timmins, not as an overwhelmingly authoritative figure, but as someone who genuinely cares about their well-being.
"Bottom-line is we're here for the students' safety. If I can go home and no one's been injured on my shift, I've had a good day," Timmins said.
That attitude is why Jan. 23 of this year was such a good day for Timmins.
After answering an emergency call from the Boss Tennis Center, Timmins arrived on the scene to find a man in cardiac arrest. Timmins administered emergency CPR and the man thankfully survived.
"That was the best day at work. We were all floating after that," he said.
