Former Seminole Schools Superintendent Paul Hagerty dies at 86
Former Superintendent Paul Hagerty, who led Seminole County Public Schools for a decade and whose name graces one of its high schools, died May 20. He was 86.
Hagerty ran SCPS from 1992 to 2002 and was the district's first superintendent hired by the school board rather than elected by voters. After his retirement, the Seminole County School Board named a new high school after him — Hagerty High School near Oviedo, which opened in 2004.
During Hagerty's tenure in Seminole, he helped the school district pass a school sales tax, negotiate the end of the federal government's 1970 school desegregation order and open 14 new campuses. He called his time in Seminole the 'highlight' of his 42-year education career which he began as a high school math teacher in his hometown of Milwaukee.
A devout Catholic, his sons said his faith motivated him to help others. He grew up in a poor family and watched his mother work multiple jobs to provide for him and his two sisters and pay for their schooling, which made him realize how important education was to upward economic mobility.
Though educated in Catholic schools, he dedicated himself to public education.
'His mission in life is ensuring that everyone had free access to the best education,' his son Timothy Hagerty said.
Hagerty was born July 25, 1939 in Milwaukee. During high school, he worked as a janitor to help his family out financially. He was accepted into Marquette University and received a basketball scholarship, but gave up basketball so he could work more and help put his sisters through school, his son Patrick Hagerty said.
'He knew how important education was for society and for himself,' he said. 'You're sort of born into your economic condition, and you're stuck there and seeing education as a means to to grow and succeed in life.'
While at Marquette he met his wife, Nancy, a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, at a dance held by a local church. Timothy said it took a while for his father to ask her out because he was embarrassed that he didn't have a car.
'The way my mother told it was almost like Cinderella, that when the dance was ending, he just disappeared every night,' he said. 'He ended up borrowing a friend's car and it bloomed from that.'
The two married in 1961, the same year he graduated from Marquette. He would later earn two master's degrees from Marquette and a doctorate degree from Florida State University.
His retirement from Seminole marked the end of his education career. He'd previously been a superintendent in Georgia and Missouri school districts.
In Seminole, he told his family he was most proud of how he'd helped modernize the district's technology and negotiate the end to the federal government's desegregation order, which the U.S. Department of Justice imposed because the district was still running segregated schools in 1970. That effort involved rebuilding campuses and upgrading academics at schools in the Sanford area, which then lagged academically.
'That was something that he really had to engage lots of different communities to say 'This is the right thing to do, and this is why we're doing it',' Patrick Hagerty said.
Hagerty received numerous awards over the years, including superintendent-of-the-year honors in Missouri and Florida.
He was very involved in his church throughout his life, his sons said. He served as the first chairman of the pastoral council at Most Precious Blood Catholic Church in Oviedo and in 2018 was awarded the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice papal honor for outstanding service to the Catholic Church.
He was a voracious reader and he and Nancy loved to travel and to play duplicate bridge.
A funeral Mass will take place Wednesday at the Basilica of the Assumption in Baltimore, where he had lived with his son Patrick since 2022. Nancy Hagerty died in 2020.
Hagerty will then be interred at 2 p.m. Thursday beside Nancy at Queen of Angels Catholic Cemetery in Winter Park.
He is also survived by his daughter Kathy Hagerty, his son Dan Hagerty, four grandchildren and his two sisters.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News24
31 minutes ago
- News24
A lens through the fire: A tribute to Rashid Lombard
Be among those who shape the future with knowledge. Uncover exclusive stories that captivate your mind and heart with our FREE 14-day subscription trial. Dive into a world of inspiration, learning, and empowerment. You can only trial once. Show Comments ()
Washington Post
an hour ago
- Washington Post
Marshals say 'Devil in the Ozarks' who escaped Arkansas prison has likely fled state
Investigators believe that a convicted murderer and former police chief known as the 'Devil in the Ozark s' has likely fled Arkansas after escaping from prison last month, a federal court filing released this week shows. A criminal complaint filed in federal court in Little Rock against Grant Hardin, who escaped prison last month, was released this week. Authorities have said Hardin escaped the Calico Rock prison in Arkansas by donning an outfit designed to look like a law enforcement uniform. In the complaint, Deputy U.S. Marshal Robert J. Hammons cites two previously publicized unconfirmed sightings of Hardin — one in central Arkansas and another in southern Missouri. 'Based on this information, investigators believe Hardin has fled the state of Arkansas to avoid recapture,' the filing said. 'He has extensive knowledge of the Ozark Mountain region, where he is believed to be possibly hiding in caves or rugged terrain that he is familiar with.' The complaint, first reported by The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette , does not detail any other sightings of Hardin or evidence of him fleeing the state. Arkansas authorities have previously said they're focusing on north-central Arkansas and tips of sightings elsewhere so far have not panned out. Hardin, a former police chief in the small town of Gateway near the Arkansas-Missouri border, was serving lengthy sentences for murder and rape . He was the subject of the TV documentary 'Devil in the Ozarks.' Hardin was housed in a maximum-security wing of the primarily medium security prison, formally known as the North Central Unit. Officials are investigating whether a job Hardin held in the kitchen helped in his escape, including whether it gave him access to materials he could have used to fashion his makeshift uniform. The Arkansas Department of Corrections this week released a new photo rendering of Hardin, depicting what he may look like now.
Fast Company
an hour ago
- Fast Company
Why we must change our attitude toward 'old' buildings
I've witnessed firsthand how attitudes toward existing buildings in need of a second life have evolved over the years. What were once considered blighted properties—or more mildly put, 'outdated buildings'—were met with wrecking balls. How we approach older structures now, not as burdens or obstacles, but as valuable assets that contribute meaningfully to a community's character and future, is a total transformation in the public's perception. This mindset shift reflects a broader recognition that the past is not something to be discarded, but to be celebrated, preserved, and reinvigorated. One of the most compelling aspects of adaptive reuse is the way it engages with a community's emotional and historical connections to its built environment. Over the years, I've seen that people develop deep affinities for the buildings that are part of their lives—whether because of personal memories, cultural significance, or their role in the daily rhythms of a neighborhood. However, while the emotional attachment to these buildings remains strong, their usefulness can atrophy over time. The infrastructure may age, and the original purpose of a building may no longer align with contemporary needs. In these cases, adaptive reuse becomes a bridge, a way to honor a structure's legacy while giving it new life. The balancing act It's a delicate balancing act between preservation and innovation, and it's a process that excites me—because it offers the opportunity to not only preserve the past but also activate it in a dynamic and forward-thinking way. My architecture firm recently transformed a 1930s-era Sears department store into a mixed-use block including more than 200 new apartments, as well as 50,000 square-feet of retail space. By combining housing and shopping, we create greater density, purpose, and connectivity, which enlivens cities like Chicago, where this project is located. By repurposing old buildings, we also retain a sense of continuity—an important link between generations. It's a strategy that works best when integrated into a broader urban plan. Sometimes, an existing structure may not reach its full potential until it is complemented by new projects that bring additional vibrancy and utility to the area. In this way, the new and the old coexist, enhancing each other and helping to create a richer, more complex urban fabric. Retaining an existing building can also reduce the embodied carbon footprint of an entire project. Ultimately, adaptive reuse is a key strategy for creating sustainable and community-centered development. It aligns with a growing recognition that buildings are more than just physical structures—they are symbols of history, identity, and shared experience. By embracing the creative potential of these spaces, we not only preserve their legacy but also provide the foundation for future generations to build upon. This holistic approach to development is essential for fostering resilient communities that honor their past while looking ahead to the future.
