By Maeve Hickok ’27
Strolling the halls of Thomas College you might find yourself engulfed in the long shadow of a campus enigma. Officially, he’s Assistant Director Paul Heath of Campus Safety and Security, but among students and staff, he’s known simply as Tall Paul.
A mystery to many, but I was on a mission to probe beyond the black security vest. Who is Tall Paul? And does officer Reggie truly have Paul’s face tattooed on himself? I had to first track Tall Paul down because he is anywhere but his office. Funny enough he was outside the dining hall working on a cold case of the missing french fries. Hunting down an interview was a tall order, almost as tall as Paul.
Paul grew up around Waterville, Maine, splitting time between Fall River, Massachusetts, and Palmyra, Maine. At 17, with his parent’s permission, he enlisted in the Marines, eventually serving nine years and earning the rank of Sergeant. Heath’s a humble guy so he commented on it saying, “which is kind of like middle way in the enlisted ranks. Not a big deal; just a little bit of a big deal.”
Within the Military, Heath specialized in aviation ordinance and earned flight hours as a door gunner in a helicopter. He almost forgot to mention meeting his wife, but quickly clarified that she is very important, looking around the room warily as if she might be listening. Heath is clearly most proud of his family and speaks of the six children, Chelsea, Nicole, Meaghan, Paul, Connor, and Alex, with admiration. Additionally, Paul has nine grandchildren, who I won’t name for your sake and mine.
After leaving the Marines, Heath took on various security jobs but eventually took a break. It was during this time between managing properties in the Waterville area and annoying his wife he dropped an application off at Thomas College.
Heath was hired part-time at Thomas back in 2013 and worked his way up from there. It was during his early days here that he earned the infamous and irreversible nickname “Tall Paul.” Heath recalled the nickname lore saying, “I worked with a senior guy most time and his name was also Paul. The students, if they’re hollering, Paul, hey Paul! you know, we both turn and they say, I meant Paul Abbott, or I meant Paul Heath. So, they get into this thing about calling me Tall Paul.” And the rest is history.
Heath has stayed at Thomas for better reasons then the dining hall french fries, in fact his answer nearly got my waterworks going. Heath reminisces moments at Thomas saying, “I’m going to watch you walk someday to have your degree. And that’s a very moving moment for me, we get to know each other, you get into this headspace where they’re going to be here forever. You’re not going to be here forever. Almost every student shakes my hand as their walking up to you to sit down to get ready to receive their degree, it’s a bittersweet moment . . . years later, after they’re well into their jobs, they come to see me saying, ‘Paul, I wanted to see you.’ And it’s a moment for me that says, I must have done something right.” I’ll give you a moment to grab your tissue.
Heath made clear the impact and importance of his role here at Thomas. Although his boss Chris Santiago was lurking nearby, he wasn’t pressured saying, “I love this job. I love the community aspect of Thomas College. It’s a very close-knit place. We all know each other, and I think that’s the magic that keeps me here.”
At Thomas College, rumors spread fast—like the one about whether Officer Davis has a tattoo of Tall Paul’s face. Paul dodged the question like a seasoned politician before finally saying, “I can confirm he doesn’t have a tattoo of me, but I’ll let the students decide whether it’s Gene Hackman or Tall Paul.” You heard it here first: the mystery’s ours to solve, but I say Tall Paul looks nothing like Gene Hackman.
Paul likes to leave this a bit of a mystery. Behind his stoic exterior Heath has a soft side, even if he doesn’t want to show it. “I am a private person. I believe in keeping some aspects of work and home life separate. Tall Paul’s supposed to have a certain persona. . . I have a certain reputation.”
Tall Paul might hold a persona but behind the uniform and tall frame is someone who cares deeply for the community- Thomas College’s very own 1978 Superman, Gene Hackman not included.
This article was originally written for Dr. Lisa Hibl’s EH 250/CO 250 Journalism class in Fall 2025.