Sidelight: Don Killingbeck

Here’s what beard judges want to see when they’re sizing up people’s whiskers: good shape, grooming and density, says Don Killingbeck, whose titles include competitive beard judge, world-class rope jumper, standup comedian and superintendent of Hemlock Public Schools in Hemlock, Mich. (and AASA member since 2013). Killingbeck has been part of the so-called World’s Best Small Town Beard and Braids Contest during Hemlock’s annual Sawdust Days since its inception a decade ago. “I’m kind of the beard spokesperson,” says Killingbeck, who sports a distinctive thick beard himself. “Being in a community and being the beard judge really allows people to see me as accessible,” he says. “That really connects.”