Coastal Now Menu

CCU security officer touches lives and lifts spirit

by Foster

During his shift at Chanticleer baseball games, Coastal Carolina University security officer Jack Bodmer picks up fly balls he finds outside the stadium, but the balls are not for his own collection. He hands them out to young Chanticleer fans as they exit the game.

"Leaving a baseball game with a fly ball makes the experience even better, and I get to be a part of that for some of our youngest fans," says Bodmer.

His kind deeds and dedication to CCU are just a few of the ways he "feels the teal." After working as a senior executive protection specialist in Newark, N.J., for 37 years, Bodmer and his wife Claudia followed their twin daughters Carolyn and Jacquelyn to South Carolina. He started as a security officer with the CCU Department of Public Safety in 2014 and has loved it ever since. (Carolyn is an admissions counselor at CCU.)

"The people here are so nice and kind," Bodmer said. "It makes coming to work fun."

He is one of the many smiling faces in the Department of Public Safety (DPS), but Bodmer enforces the rules to make sure CCU is a safe place.

"I'm not always everyone's favorite guy," he says. "Sometimes I am the person writing parking tickets, but I do it to teach accountability. In the real world, outside of college, there are boundaries and laws that are strictly enforced. I would rather students learn that now than end up having their car towed in five years."

Bodmer has a passion for helping others and uses his job to reach the CCU community. He has adopted the philosophy of partner CCU law enforcement officer Mary Ann Adams to spend each day "touching lives and lifting spirits." The two go above and beyond to lend a helping hand to students and the Conway community.

"Jack has a heart of gold and would give all he had to help someone else," Adams says.

His work is so important to him that Bodmer arrives extra early for his 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. shift, jumps right in his golf cart and starts his daily duties. "Jack gets here before I do each day, which really says something because I am at least 30 minutes early," says supervisor Lt. Matthew Crawford. "He's the kind of guy I never have to worry about. If you don't follow the rules, he'll make you, but will also help you understand why it is important to do so."

Nick DeStefano, service excellence program coordinator, nominated Bodmer as a Chauncey's Champion after he saw him offer a ride to one of his coworkers while she was giving a campus tour on a hot day. "Without hesitation, Jack offered to give them both a ride for the remainder of their tour," DeStefano said. "It's small acts like this that show care for our fellow employees that make a large impact on all of us."

When he's not at work, Bodmer spends most of his time with his family. He recently became a grandpa and has been dedicating as much time as he can to being with his one-month-old granddaughter. He has yet to tell her that he once made a cameo appearance on the hit television show "Jersey Shore," but he's saving that until she gets a little older.
Family surrounds Bodmer at home and at work. He has made it his mission to serve and protect students, faculty, staff and his coworkers just like he does for his own family. "Everybody needs help sometimes, and I know no matter what, I can help them," he says.

In 2016, Bodmer and Adams noticed a CCU student sleeping in his vehicle in the HTC Center parking lot. They invited the student to their Sunday family dinner in the public safety office, but they wanted to do more to help after discovering the student was homeless. After working with University Housing, they were able to find the student a place to live and helped him find a work-study job on campus. After learning that the officers had used their own money to help the student, Crawford was not at all surprised. Bodmer and Adams are recognized as having two of the kindest hearts in the Department of Public Safety, he said.

Since that experience, Bodmer's drive for helping others has only grown stronger, and Crawford appreciates how he lends a helping hand all over campus.

"He always does the right thing, at the right time, for the right reasons.

Chauncey's Service Excellence Champions are University employees (faculty or staff) who perform service-oriented actions that go above and beyond their job duties and that meet at least one dimension of service quality. These employees are recognized for outstanding performance and embody the Feel the Teal initiative. To nominate someone for Chauncey's Champion, visit coastal.edu/feeltheteal, fill out the form and submit it. Approved nominees will receive an exclusive Chauncey's Champion pullover as well as consideration for additional recognition. View all the Chauncey's Champions at coastal.edu/feeltheteal/champions/champs.php.

Article Photos