Paul Littleton, Client Service Representative

Employee Spotlight: Paul Littleton

For Paul Littleton, summer days were meant for baseball.  

Usually on the ball field from sun-up to sundown, he stopped playing only to run home for lunch and dinner. Paul quickly moved from outfield to first base and made the Little League all-star team.

One day, he was surprised to discover his favorite position.

“During practice I was critiquing our catcher. So, my coach handed me the gear and told me to get behind the plate,” Paul recalled, with a laugh. “Turns out, I loved catching—and I never looked back.”

When ball season ended and the days were too cold to play, Paul could be found in the local library with a stack of books about sports biographies and U.S. history. 

While attending Quincy High School, Paul’s passion for sports sparked interest in another field—broadcasting.

Paul joined a radio/TV workshop where students built their own studio in the classroom with equipment donated by the local radio station, KGRC. Paul was part of a nightly broadcast five nights a week on the cable network, and helped produce nine TV shows that aired on Channel 7.

He also began amateur disc jockeying and performing comedy skits with his best friend. 

“My good buddy in high school was extremely funny, and we would do little skits,” he said. “So, he was the funny guy, and I was the straight man for him.”

The Monday after his high school graduation, Paul walked into Gardner Denver to join the workforce. He spent five and a half years there and later moved to Moorman Manufacturing for another seven and a half years. 

In his early 30s, Paul found his childhood passions calling back. Combining his love of sports and history with a desire to work with kids, he went back to college. While working part-time at Emery Air Freight and attending Quincy University, Paul graduated at age 37 with a bachelor’s in history and a minor in English.

Paul went on to teach at Unity High School in Mendon, starting with at-risk students and then teaching high school history for four years before moving to the middle school, where he taught history for the remainder of his 25-year teaching career.

Paul knew that many students walked into his classroom convinced they wouldn’t enjoy the class. Each year, he asked his students—promising them they wouldn’t get in trouble—how many disliked history.

 When the hands shot up, Paul told them, “All I ask is that you give me the chance to change your mind.”

“A lot of them did change their minds,” Paul said. “I really miss being in front of the kids, telling an incredible story about U.S. history.”

Sports also never left Paul’s life. In addition to teaching, he coached at Mendon for 35 years, covering nearly every sport the school offered except football and volleyball. He has coached middle school and high school baseball, and high school softball, cross country, track and golf.

Paul started playing men’s fast-pitch softball at age 14 and continued until he was 50. In his final years of playing, he helped run leagues for local teams.

Over time, persistent knee problems forced him to give up the sport he loved. Paul believes that turning point nudged him to grow in his faith.

Paul grew up Catholic but began attending a Protestant church in his early 20s when he met his late wife, Kathy, and came to faith during a revival. 

“When my knees went bad on me, I found myself much more involved in church and ministry,” he said.

 “I have wondered if God took away my knees to change my priorities.”

Paul served as a deacon at Lighthouse Baptist Church for 20 years and ministered through AWANA. He now coordinates snacks for Young Life each month and helps clean the church on Friday mornings.

Paul and Kathy married at age 20 and shared 38 years together before she passed away unexpectedly during heart surgery in 2012. They raised one son, Mathew, whose own love for athletics led him into coaching. He now serves as head men’s cross-country and track and field coach, while his wife, Krista, coaches the women’s program.

Later, God brought Paul’s current wife Melody into his life. He described Kathy as a “wonderful lady,” and now speaks just as warmly of Melody as “equally wonderful.” 

Before Melody came into Paul’s life, he knew he was ready to move into a new career. Although he still has a passion for teaching, he was not interested in learning the new technologies that were suddenly a requirement of the job.

He instead began to train with Pat’s brother, Mark Benson, to offer insurance services. While learning insurance, he was housed at Benson Financial Group’s Hannibal office.

Paul soon realized, however, that he didn’t have the network or personality for that kind of sales work. Instead, he began quietly volunteering to help on various projects at BFG.

After seeing the difference Paul made—particularly during a major broker-dealer transition to LPL—Pat made sure Paul was compensated and brought him on part-time with the client service team.

After leaving education when technology began changing the classroom, Paul laughs that he now spends much of his day working on a computer at BFG. The adjustment has been worth it, and he is grateful to be part of the team.

A favorite verse that has guided Paul through his life is 1 Corinthians 9:22.

To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.     — 1 Corinthians 9:22

“What that basically means is that you meet people where they are,” Paul said. “You don't try to find the differences; you try to find the commonalities.”