By Traci Chapman
Managing Editor
His was a life that lit up the stage and changed lives through more than three decades at Okarche Public Schools.
Lyndal Westmoreland has served as an inspiration and beacon to Okarche students as a teacher and sponsor who established speech, debate and theatre programs recognized across the state of Oklahoma for their excellence.
On Monday, that beacon dimmed when the beloved teacher died unexpectedly at the age of 64.
“Mr. Westmoreland’s impact on students throughout the years as the speech and drama teacher and one-act play teacher has been tremendous,” Okarche Superintendent Josh Sumrall said. “We have received several comments, calls and messages in the last 24 hours from his past students on the impact he had on them.”
Westmoreland joined Okarche Public Schools in August 1989, after working for Felt Public Schools for nearly seven years. In Okarche, he taught a host of classes, including his most recent role as senior English teacher.
But speech, debate and drama were his true loves, he said last year. Throughout his 34-year tenure, Westmoreland’s students captured state one-act championships in 1990, 2004, 2010, 2016 and 2018; speech and debate teams earned the state’s top honors in 2001 and 2002.
At the time of his death, he and his speech team members were preparing for regional competition, after five of those students won a second-place sweep stakes trophy in February at the Shattuck Invitational Speech Tournament.
Westmoreland was committed to sharing his students’ accomplishments, publicizing the news of those achievements without fail. His pride and belief in them had a lasting impact, many said as news of the Okarche veteran teacher’s death spread. Among them was former student Amy Smith.
“This hurts – what a wonderful man with a huge impact,” she posted online. “All these years later I still use what he taught me, every single day.”
That impact – and how Westmoreland changed the lives of his students and those who knew him – would be one of his most important legacies.
“He was simply amazing – he left our community a better place with such an impact on generations of OHS students,” Robin Rother said. “Job well done, Mr. Westmoreland. Rest in peace.”
As much as Westmoreland changed the lives of his students, his work to promote speech, debate and drama also created a ripple far beyond Okarche. In 2012, Westmoreland was not only named Okarche Public Schools District Teacher of the Year, he was one of 12 finalists for Oklahoma State Teacher of the Year.
That reputation among a wider community explained the accolades that poured in from fellow speech teachers and students across the state, as those who shared Westmoreland’s passion for teaching – and particularly, debate, drama and speech – both mourned and celebrated the veteran educator. He served as a mentor not only for his students, but also for other teachers, Sarah Lippencott said.
“Thank you for always helping me, Lyndal Westmoreland, when I was a new one act teacher at Cheyenne and knew absolutely nothing,” she said. Your kindness, wit and comedic personality will be missed by everyone – you were one-of-a-kind and a legend in the speech and drama community.”
Many spoke about his dedication to those crafts, which he tirelessly promoted. And Westmoreland himself talked about the importance of those activities – and while trophies and recognition were important, it was the skills the young people he mentored developed that meant the most, he said last year.
“These activities are important to the students – they learn skills they’ll hopefully take with them and use for the rest of their lives,” Westmoreland said, shortly after he retired from the district at the end of the 2021-2022 school year.
That retirement didn’t last long, however. Both Westmoreland and Traci Fuller – who also retired at the same time – didn’t miss a beat and were back at Okarche High School to welcome students when classes resumed in August.
“It’s hard to walk away from these kids, from this district – we have the best teachers, administration, it’s easy to love being here,” Westmoreland said shortly after the 2022-2023 school year started.
For Okarche students, both past and present, their admiration and love for a teacher who believed in and mentored them throughout more than three decades at the district, would never fade, they said.
Westmoreland was a 1976 graduate of Marietta High School. He earned a bachelor’s degree in speech education from and minored in English education at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, then studied theatre and speech, in 1982 obtaining a master’s degree from East Texas State University.
Westmoreland and his wife, Jerri, were married in June 1989, just a few months before he started at OPS, and making their home in El Reno. Jerri Westmoreland is the library media specialist at Binger-Oney Public Schools and teaches elementary social studies.
“Okarche Schools and the Okarche community appreciates the commitment and dedication that Mr. Westmoreland gave to us,” Superintendent Sumrall said. “We, as a school, are mourning the loss, but are also celebrating the success and impact on students that Mr. Westmoreland brought to Okarche Public Schools.”
