George Mayer, who has taught at Gulf High School longer than any other teacher currently on our faculty, will retire at the end of May.
Mr. Mayer started at Gulf in September 1976. He was hired by Peter Detlefsen, who was then the social studies department chair. Ed Campbell was the Gulf principal at the time.
Mr. Mayer believes that Ms. Gedraitis and Mr. Evans started teaching at the same time he did, but they began at Gulf Junior High School.
Gulf High School is the only school at which Mr. Mayer has taught, not counting the fact that also taught night school at Land O’ Lakes High School 23 of the years he was at Gulf.
Mr. Mayer has taught mostly U. S. history, his favorite subject, but he has also taught government, economics, world history, geography, psychology, and sociology. He was the social studies department chair for several years.
At Gulf he has sponsored the Pasco Teen Age Republicans, having obtained a charter for Gulf High School on March 15, 1995.
He says he took Gulf students on trips to Washington, D. C., five or six times, with the trips lasting from four days to a week.
Mr. Mayer was a candidate for a seat on the Hillsborough County school board in 1988. He placed second out of seven candidates in the non-partisan primary, but lost in the general election. He recalls that local media referred to him as an outsider since he taught in Pasco County, although he lived in Hillsborough County. He currently lives in New Tampa in Hillsborough County.
He attended Hillsborough Community College and Oral Roberts University. He also has an M. A. degree in U. S. history from USF. He was a hospital corpsman in the U. S. Navy from 1967 to 1971.
George A. Mayer III was born in Columbus, Ohio. He moved to Florida with his family in the 8th grade and attended Madison Junior High and Robinson High schools in Tampa.
He and his wife Carol have two adult children and four grandchildren.
Because of rules of the Deferred Retirement Option Program, Mr. Mayer can retire no later than May 31. There will be a substitute teacher in his classroom for the last three days of school.
Below: Mr. Mayer’s campaign flyer when he was a candidate for Hillsborough County school board
