Many students are coping with the loss of a beloved teacher this week after he died in a car wreck in Creek County.
Gregg Hartney was a debate coach in Jenks, Sand Springs and the Tulsa Community College. Through his career, he touched the lives of thousands of students over the forty years he taught.
Jenks students, like Matthew Lugibihl, say Hartney was far more than a teacher.
"I'm definitely going to miss just his presence. He's such a monument in the debate community and to see him gone is just, it's quite a loss for sure."
School administrators said 66 year-old Hartney spent his last 15 years at Jenks teaching Speech and Debate, but also life lessons.
"He always found a way to relate to them, connect with them and he was always passionate about working with them," said Jenks Assistant Principal Eric Fox.
The National Speech and Debate Association said Hartney was six-diamond coach who coached several state champs and national qualifiers. But his biggest accomplishment was the dividends from the time and energy he invested into his students.
"He was always proud of his former student’s success and he would always have stories about what they were doing, what they were studying in college, what their major was," said Fox.
Though Hartney is gone, Lugibihl said he'll never forget their long trips to debate competitions and Hartney's passion for teaching.
"He had so many funny stories and he was such a relatable and charismatic person, so having him invest in you, having him spend that time was absolutely impactful and you could tell from the other students who had graduated that this was something he cared about," said Lugibihl.
Jenks High School is holding a memorial service for Hartney at the Performing Arts Center at 1:30 on Sunday. They're also taking donations for his family until Friday.
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