Worthington High Schools Alumni Club - Deceased Classmates
First Name
Dr. John K. "Jack"
Maiden Name
Last Name
Hartman
Passing Date
3/9/2023
Class Attended
Faculty
High School
Faculty
John K. "Jack" Hartman of rural Powell, Ohio, died Thursday, March 9, 2023 at age 77. An emeritus professor of journalism and member of the Journalism Hall of Fame at Central Michigan University and a distinguished alumnus of the Ashland, Ohio, City Schools, Hartman was known for his 20 years of service on the Bowling Green, Ohio, Board of Education, his two books about the national newspaper USA TODAY and his visiting professorship at King Saud University. Hartman is survived by his wife of 55 years, Kay Lynn Franks Hartman, his childhood sweetheart. They were married on June 11, 1967, at First United Methodist Church in Ashland. He is also survived by three daughters Kimberly Hartman Brueck (Jeremy) of Green, Ohio, Alicia Hartman Wolshire (Jayson) of Dublin, Ohio, and Jacqueline Hartman Ashley (John) of Chapel Hill, North Carolina; by seven grandchildren: Isaac Edward Kinaitis, Ian Matthew Kinaitis, Adam Jayson Wolshire, Ella Hartman Wolshire, Aiden Timothy Brueck, Samantha Harper Ashley, and Paige Sophia Ashley, and by two sisters Ruth Arlene Hartman Morr (William) of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Nora Kathryn Hartman Kelting (Michael) of Newton, Kansas, and by his cousin Patricia Morris of Lake Tahoe, California. He was preceded in death by his parents Harvey Hamill Hartman and Kathryn Jane Timmons Hartman. John Kenneth Hartman was born Dec. 30, 1945, in Ashland, Ohio. He graduated from Ashland High School in 1963, where he was sports editor of the school newspaper Panorama and a three-year varsity letterman on the tennis team. He earned three degrees from Bowling Green State University: a bachelor's of business administration in journalism in 1967, a master's in radio-TV-film in 1977 and a doctor of philosophy in interpersonal and public communication in 1986. When his alma mater did not treat him fairly, he sued and won a lawsuit over employment discrimination in March 1998 in Toledo District U.S. Court. He was a lifelong member of the BGSU Alumni Association and a long-time member of the Falcon Club. As a student, he helped broadcast the first football game ever played in Doyt L. Perry Stadium. His career highlights included: sports editor, Ashland Times-Gazette, 1968-1971; public information officer, Ohio Department of Transportation, 1971-1974; instructor of journalism, Bowling Green State University, 1977-1979; copy editor, Toledo Blade, 1980-1984; professor of journalism, Central Michigan University, 1984-2015; and columnist, Columbus Free Press, 2015-2023. His author name was John K. Hartman for The USA TODAY Way in 1992 and The USA TODAY Way 2 The Future in 2000, his two books about the trend-setting national newspaper. He published many articles and made many presentations of research and commentary about newspapers, journalism and politics. He covered the Democratic National Convention in August 2008 and witnessed Barack Obama's historic acceptance speech at Mile High Stadium in Denver. He began his career at CMU as an instructor in 1984 and rose to the rank of professor in 1992. He received the professor stipend on four occasions after that, each time he was eligible. At CMU, he was known for his wit and for his penchant for telling students the unvarnished truth. He served as departmental chair on two occasions. Hartman and his wife Kay were elected delegates and attended the Democratic National Convention in Boston in 2004. He was a long-time Democratic precinct committeeman and party activist. He was elected five times to the Bowling Green Board of Education and was the leading vote-getter each time, serving from 1978 until 1997. He was president for two years and vice president for two others. He served on the Penta Vo-Ed board for five years. He presided over the dedication of the addition to Bowling Green Senior High school in 1989. He was honored on three occasions by the FFA. In 2008, he was selected as the Al-Jazirah Newspaper International Chair of Journalism, one of 50 subject-specific international professors chosen to serve as a visiting professor at King Saud University, the largest university in Saudi Arabia. He and his wife Kay made 2-week visits in 2008, 2009 and 2010. He served as a member of the Liberty Township Board of Zoning Appeals from 2013-2015, as an alternate member of the Liberty Township Zoning Board from 2015 to 2019, and as a member of the Comprehensive Plan Committee in 2018 and 2022. He was an avid tennis player and had many individual and team successes. Most notably he was doubles champion of Ashland five times, singles champion of Medina once, doubles champion at Wedgewood Golf and Country Club twice, and a member of two over-70s championship teams in the Greater Columbus Tennis Association. He also coached junior varsity tennis for several seasons at Worthington Kilbourne High School.
