Internship created in honor of John "Jack" Headley

John “Jack” Headley, spent his life helping people. A devoted father and husband, he believed strongly in serving his community and state. Jack Headley passed away on Christmas Eve 2019, but his legacy of giving will continue through a new internship at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (Sanford Lab).

“My dad was a strong supporter of the work we’re doing here at Sanford Lab,” said Mike Headley, executive director of Sanford Lab. “When I would go back home, I shared pictures of what was going on at Sanford Lab and told him about our work. I always had a question or two for Jack about construction or electrical work, which he had decades of experience in. And he always gave me great advice. He was very proud of the work the team was doing here and what it meant for South Dakota.”

A native of Winner, South Dakota, Jack Headley moved to Brookings when, at the age of 14, his father, John, became the president of South Dakota State University (SDSU). Jack attended classes at SDSU and went on to become an electrical contractor. He married “the love of his life” and raised four children in Brookings. An amateur radio operator from an early age, Jack used his skills to assist with emergencies across the state, including spending several days in Rapid City after the flood of 1972.

“When my dad was a kid, he had polio. Fortunately, he had a mentor who helped him get his start as an amateur radio operator,” said Mike Headley. “He never forgot that and used his knowledge to serve his community and other communities in South Dakota.”

Jack Headley was active in the Brookings and South Dakota state hockey programs and helped lead the construction of the first indoor ice arena in Brookings. He was a past parish council member at St. Thomas More Church, served as a volunteer fireman, was a lifetime member of the Brookings Elks Club, and served as a district council member for Boy Scouts. He also was a weather spotter.

“We get a lot of tornados East River. My dad and a number of other amateur radio operators would go out and do weather spotting. He’d tell us to get in the basement, then he’d jump in the car and go chase them,” Mike Headley said. “As I got older, I went with him. It was a lot of fun—and it was great to spend that time with him knowing we were helping others.”

Sanford Lab currently offers six internships that support science, communications, mining engineering, engineering and education. As a seventh internship, the Jack Headley STEM Internship will give priority to underrepresented groups within the State of South Dakota.

“Supporting the advancement of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education and education outreach in the region is a core part of our mission,” Mike Headley said. “Providing opportunities for students to experience what it’s like to do work at an underground research facility in so many disciplines, is something we feel very strongly about. We want to make sure that the region and the state really benefit from the work we do.”

For Mike Headley, who has been with Sanford Lab since 2008, an internship in his father’s name just makes sense.

“Sanford Lab has always been a big part of my family’s life and the Sanford Lab team is part of my family,” Mike Headley said. “It’s an honor for me and my family to grow the internship program in my father’s memory. It’s pretty humbling.”