We all know Logan Gillmore. As an important part of everyone’s school spirit, Logan adds life and enthusiasm to the heart of our community. If you’ve been to a sporting event, however, you might know him better as “Pedro,” the Panther mascot with Micheal Jackson-esque moves. Logan connects with the audience through killer dance moves and a kind of energy that reaches fans in even the farthest of corners. With a bright past and a promising future, Logan seems to have it all going for him—and a roundabout, sometimes lonely, journey to Boulder laid the groundwork for that future.
Logan grew up in suburban Wisconsin and moved around a lot. Living in Wisconsin until he was 8 years old, and not moving to Clancy until he was in eighth grade, Logan had a hard time making long-term connections.
“I never really had a chance to make super close friends,” Gillmore stated, “because I would never spend more than four or five years at a school and I didn’t really have a best friend.”
Growing up, Logan spent the majority of his time kicking around a soccer ball, going to church or studying with his dad. Although he did all of this, something still seemed to be missing. Then Logan found theater.
When asked to describe himself in one word, Logan said, “entertainer.” If you’ve ever been to one of his plays, you can see he is just that.
“Ever since I did my first show, I really fell in love with it,” he said. From a young age, he’s had a gift for performing and putting on a show. Many would be surprised to know that he has never taken a professional dance class, and Logan didn’t start theater until he moved to Montana.
It seems that of all the places he has been, he has found the greatest connection in Boulder. This is partially due to theater. Logan said that he loves theater because, “I really feel like it’s the connection you have with the audience when you’re doing it … just riding that wave of audience emotion … really just having that connection with the audience while I’m doing it is really special.”
Mike Hesford, the theater teacher and director of the plays at Jefferson High School, will especially miss Logan.
“He’s been the backbone for the past couple of years … He’s a rare kid … very few kids are that dedicated for that long,” Hesford remarked after Logan’s last play on May 12. “He jumped right in and he was fully in, he’s got a tremendous amount of passion for it,”
Hesford reflected: “that’s going to be a tough thing to replace.”
Overall, Hesford said, “He’s got a confidence that … he brings to each and every performance and I think he’ll bring that to the rest of his life.”
After he graduates, Logan plans to go on a two-year church mission to Ecuador. Religion was a large part of his life growing up, and Logan has since chosen it for himself.
He was raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Over the past few years, he has found a real passion and connection with his religious life and his life serving others.
“It’s become a lot more real and a lot more important in my life,” he said, expressing excitement to start his life serving and loving other people, and spreading the “good news to the world.”
Of all Logan’s accomplishments, he is most proud of recently receiving the Melchizedek Priesthood, which is the higher of the two orders of priesthood in the LDS church. “It has really helped me move into the next phase of my life.”
After connecting with people in his community through various ways (theater or religion), Logan has said that now he is sad having to leave a place he’s made such a connection with.
“It’s going to be hard for me to leave come this August, when I’m leaving on my mission,” Logan said. “I’ve connected with people, here specifically in Boulder”
And the town of Boulder has no doubt connected with him too—at least we can stare at the unfilled Pedro costume, knowing our community has fostered one of the world’s brightest minds, and kindest hearts, just wanting to do good, spread love, and change the world one Michael Jackson move at a time.
