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Dick (Richard) Hoyt Finton passed peacefully into the presence of his Lord Jesus on December 10, 2016, at his home in Ponca City surrounded by his wife and family. He was 79.
Dick Finton was born the son of William Hoyt Finton and Delpha Ione Golden Finton in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on May 17, 1937. He attended first and second grade in Purcell, OK, and later moved to Ardmore where he attended third and fourth grade. His family then moved to Shawnee where he continued his schooling and graduated from Shawnee High School in 1956. At a young age, it was evident that he was a gifted athlete and enjoying playing baseball, football, tennis, golf, and participating in track and field events. In the summers, he was a life guard at the local swimming pool. In high school he enjoyed singing in the choir, playing the French horn in the band, and participating in theatrical productions. He was fun-loving and known for the many jokes he played on his friends and classmates. Later he would play Triple- A Baseball for a few years in Wichita, Kansas.
After high school, he attended one year at Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee where he ran track and field. After that, he transferred to Northwestern Oklahoma State University where he continued his outstanding performance in track and field events. He was best known for his success as a sprinter and his love for running. In 1962 he graduated with two majors, one in Speech- Theatre Education and the other in Physical Education. In 1967 he completed a Master of Education degree at Northwestern. During his years as an educator, he completed additional graduate work at the University of Nebraska and Pittsburg State University.
His first teaching job was at Meade (Kansas) High School where he taught speech, debate, and coached track and field from 1962 to 1964. He then taught the same subjects at McPherson (Kansas) High School from 1964 to 1966. It was always Dick's goal to teach at the college level and he had the opportunity to reach that goal when he was offered a position at Northern Oklahoma College as Instructor of Speech and Debate. He taught from 1966 to 1973 at Northern and then had the opportunity to teach at Carson- Newman University in Jefferson City, Tennessee, where he was Instructor of Speech and Debate as well as Tennis Coach from 1973 to 1977. He later moved to Joplin, Missouri, where he was Assistant Professor of Speech and Debate from 1977 to 1987. Believing that he needed to get back closer to his aging parents, he moved to Winfield, Kansas, where he was Associate Professor of Speech and Debate from 1987 to 1989. He was excited to return to Northern Oklahoma College where he was Instructor of Speech and Debate and worked from 1989 until his retirement in 2002. After retiring from his college career, he worked at Shidler Public Schools, Shidler, OK, teaching physical education and coached football, softball, basketball, cross country, and track and field.
Dick's accomplishments in life are outstanding. He coached high school Debate and Forensics for four years and coached college Debate, Forensics, and Theatre for thirty-six years. In forty years of coaching debate, his debate teams had an 85.2% Win-Lose record. He has coached or taught 176 lawyers, 316 educators (three of which became college presidents), 62 college professors, 6 doctors, 9 ministers, 3 CPA's, 16 broadcasters, and 7 judges. He is most proud of his collegiate debaters and forensic students for having a 96% college graduation rate. He was co-founder of the National Education Debate Association (NEDA) 1993, co-founder of the Great Plains Forensic Association (GPFC) 1998, and founder of the Lincoln Douglas Intercollegiate Debate in 1986. Dick received the Distinguished Faculty Northern Oklahoma College Award in 1999, and was recognized by the Oklahoma Speech Theatre Communication Association (OSTCA) as Outstanding Forensic Coach in 2001.
During Dick's collegiate career he taught Oral Communication, Voice and Articulation, Public Speaking, Advanced Public Speaking, American Public Speaking, Fundamentals of Radio, Radio Management, Interpersonal Communication, Communication and Law, Nonverbal Communication, Discussion, Business and Professional Communication, Play Production, Forensics, Persuasion, Debate, Communication Theory, Theories of Track, Theories of Football, Theories of Physical Education, and Theories of Tennis.
His collegiate coaching career in tennis placed 12th, 10th, 6th, and 4th in NAIA Nationals. His tennis teams Win-Lose record was 186 wins and 36 loses. He coached six tennis All-Americans and seventeen tennis teaching Professionals, as well as being a tennis teaching Professional himself for sixteen years. Dick officiated, from 1958 until 2006, in football, basketball, and baseball collegiately and in high school, as well as community organizations. In his forty-eight years of teaching and coaching, he was a head coach in tennis, cross country, track and field, and basketball, and an assistant coach in softball, football, and baseball. In 1974 through 1977 Dick received the District 24 NAIA Tennis Coach of the Year Award, the Volunteer State Athletic Conference Tennis Coach of the Year Award, and the East Tennessee Tennis Coach of the Year Award. In 1980 he was the NAIA Tennis Coaches Association's National President.
No one lived life with more zest, passion, and enjoyment than Dick Finton. He loved nothing more than watching any type of sports on ESPN, fishing, hunting, camping, and golfing with family and friends. He loved to go fishing in Minnesota and golfing in Branson, Missouri, where he also enjoyed the music and shows. He loved to tell stories and jokes and never met a stranger. For many years Dick would clown parades riding his go-cart because he loved to make people smile. When he was younger, he enjoyed clowning rodeos. He was so proud of his two sons, Brady and Zane, and was passionately involved in their athletic events, education, and accomplishments.
He is preceded in death by his parents.
He is survived by his wife, Janice Ricks Finton of Ponca City; one sister, Dorothy Jean Finton Zumwalt, of Sapulpa; his two sons, Richard Brady Finton and his wife Jennifer of Bixby, and Patrick Zane Finton and his wife Courtney of Stillwater.; his two step-sons Kevin Michael Adams and his wife Rafina of Walnut Creek, CA, and Kyle Mathew Adams of Ponca City. He will be remembered by his eleven grandchildren Kaden Finton, Kailee (Finton) Jordan and her husband Marcus ,Kinzie Finton, Kailey Fenske, Braden Finton, Zoey Finton, Callie Coats, Samuel Finton, Alex Ross Adams, Dasha Adams, Mila Adams and his great-granddaughter Myla— and several nieces, a nephew, and cousins.
Memorial contributions may be sent to Northwestern Foundation & Alumni Association, 709 Oklahoma Blvd., Alva, Oklahoma 73717 in care of John Allen, or Shidler Public Schools Athletic Fund in care of Kerri Robinson, PO Box 85, Shidler, OK 74652.
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