‘Once a Tiger, always a Tiger': Hundreds remember late Bentonville High School principal

Yahoo

02-04-2025

BENTONVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Hundreds of friends, family, students — both past and present — and staff attended late Bentonville High School principal Jack Loyd's celebration of life at Arend Arts Center on Tuesday.
There were tears shed, but Loyd's eulogy — delivered by Scott Passmore and Bentonville athletics director Chris Hutchens — brought their fair share of laughs as well, remembering the stories that put smiles on their faces, like the time Loyd wanted to rent a live tiger to have down on the field during the Tigers' Homecoming football game.
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'He was told, 'No,' for obvious reasons. 'A tiger at a football stadium with 6- or 8,000 people, not a great idea, Mr. Loyd,'' Passmore said, adding that Loyd opted to, instead, put Bentonville's tiger mascot on the back of his Harley Davidson and lead the football team on the field before the game. 'He gets so excited; he throttles out before the door's completely open and almost decapitated that poor mascot.'
Hutchens, who said he met Loyd when he was a 22-year-old intern at Walton Junior High School in 1996, told a story about the time Loyd signed the two and a few others up for a softball tournament in Fayetteville.
'The first game was delayed for about 30 minutes due to the arrival of our opponent,' Hutchens said. 'Once the Hooters National Team arrived from their delayed flight and scored 30 runs in the top of the first, I was pretty sure that Jack signed us up in the wrong division.'
Passmore also shared a few other things that Loyd loved, including top-10 lists, fishing, golfing, karaoke, would-you-rather hypotheticals, iced tea and food — both cooking and eating.
'Jack could eat wings, oysters, Jack could take down a two-pound cowboy-cut steak,' Passmore said. 'He was the only guy I knew that we could go to lunch at the Wingstop, and he could manage to spend $50.'
Most of all, though, Loyd loved his family.
'There's absolutely zero doubt how much Jack cared for you,' Hutchens said. 'The life that was crafted by Jack was his pride and joy. Jack loved his family.'
Hutchens and Passmore were preceded by Peyton Bolling, a senior at Bentonville High School and Miss America's Teen 2025, who read Scripture before sharing her memories of Loyd always greeting students at the front door of the school and lending a listening ear to their needs.
'Mr. Loyd was more than just a principal,' Bolling said. 'He was a mentor, a leader and a true friend to all. Our Bentonville Tiger community is hurting. We feel a sense of loss as we walk these halls the past few days, but we are also reminded that we are stronger because of his guidance and his lessons he's imparted.'
The love that Loyd's students had for him was reciprocated.
'Once a Tiger, always a Tiger. Mr. Loyd lived a life of service,' Hutchens said. 'Most of us here have no doubt that Jack had black and gold in his veins.'
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