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November/December 2004 Yes, Virginia... There really is a Santa Claus, and Dean Willard knows it Perhaps there is some unwritten, contractual agreement that comes into play when a man puts on the familiar red -and-white garb of St. Nicholas, as suggested by Tim Allen’s 1994 movie The Santa Claus. That costume may convey something magical that changes a man, and Dean Willard, of Chesapeake, may be living proof. Willard says he bought his first Santa Claus outfit on a whim in 1976. He saw it in a formal wear shop window and lingered, remembering he had wanted to play the role. He might have walked on, had he not been shopping with his friend Bobby Bond, who encouraged him to buy it. It cost him $49.95. Willard was at leisure that morning, as the Norfolk Naval Shipyard was closed for the holidays. However, his wife Billie was working. Later that day, Willard wore his suit to Billie’s office, surprising everyone at the Hampton Roads Sanitation District office. He made such an impression that Billie’s supervisor, Jim Gahagan, asked him to come back a few days later for the employees’ Christmas party. Willard has been Santa Claus ever since. In the 1970s, he wore a fake beard, like most other Santas. Today, he’s a stickler for authenticity. His last suit retailed for $1,400. He wears real leather boots, a leather belt and little wire-rimmed glasses. “People think I’m crazy, but it’s worth every penny of it,” says Willard. “It makes a big impression on a child.”
For the rest of this story, you can order the November/December 2004 issue of Hampton Roads Magazine. |
