It’s a small world (for the tall)

Being big is beneficial: No need for a stepladder. A great conversation starter. Plus, people are always looking up to you — literally.

However, cautioned Henry Jackson and Kelly Nichols — two local men of stature — having height has its hindrances: Clothes don’t fit. You have a greater risk for some diseases. And don’t even bother trying to get on a roller coaster.

“I’m the one who was real tall” is a surefire way for the 6-foot-8-inch Nichols to jog acquaintances’ memories over the phone. “That always rings a bell,” he said.

Nichols, as a funeral home director and mayor of Crane, often must interact with people whom he has met only once or twice before.

And, Jackson, Emergency Services Coordinator for Ector County public schools, said his 6-foot, 7-inch stature influenced his law enforcement career.

“I had less problems making arrests. The short guys had to fight,” he said. “As a tall person, I always got more respect.”

However, each said his size didn’t have a significant impact on job performance.

While Jackson, 53, said he has always enjoyed good health, Nichols, 38, suffers from Marfan syndrome, a genetic disorder typically affecting very tall people.

According to the National Marfan Foundation’s website, people with the syndrome can experience problems with the spine, eyes, heart and lungs.

“The majority die because of an aortic aneurysm,” Nichols said. “They never know they have a problem until it’s too late.”

An aortic aneurysm is a bulge in the heart’s main artery. It could cause the artery to burst, according to the American Heart Association’s website.

Nichols’ mother died of a burst aneurysm, and he’s had two surgeries to repair his own aorta.

Not all problems associated with being tall are so serious. Bumping your head is a pain, and so is trying to squeeze into an airplane seat or a theme park ride.

Jackson said he “invented the Michael Jackson look” — “short pants and white socks” — because it was so difficult to find large enough clothes in his teens.

Nichols said he also gets the typical nicknames like Lurch from the Addams Family.

“Sometimes I get tired of people asking, ‘Gee, did you play basketball?’ ” Nichols said. “I want to say, ‘No, Did you play miniature golf?”