George Hartman

George Hartman, founding chairman of Saddleback College's Division of Health, Physical Education and Athletics and the school's first football coach, died Saturday, January 31 after a long illness. His cause of death was a range of specific and progressive physical disorders brought on by Frontotemporal Dementia. He was 83 years old.

A resident of Orange County for 59 years, he was born in Cleburne, Texas on January 21, 1932 to parents George Roy and Eddice Hartman. At age 17 he was an amateur boxer who became the Golden Gloves Light Heavy Weight Champion of the State of Texas. An all around athlete, he earned letters at Cleburne High School in football, basketball and baseball.

He attended East Texas State University on a football scholarship and won conference and Little All American honors playing on a team which was on a 29-game winning streak, the longest in the nation among collegiate teams at that time. It was at ETSU that he met and married the former Mary Lynn Walden, who now is a member of the Emeritus Faculty of the School of Communications at California State University, Fullerton. They marked 61 years of marriage the day before his death.

Upon graduation from college, George received his commission as a Marine Corps 2nd Lieutenant. His last duty station was Camp Pendleton and when his two-year tour of duty ended, he remained in California to begin his teaching and coaching career. He was on coaching staffs at Garden Grove High School, Bolsa Grande High School, Western High School and Savanna High School between 1957 and 1964 when he was hired by El Segundo High School for his first head football coaching assignment. That was the year that his football team won the Pioneer League Conference championship, the first such win for an Eagle football team in 14 years. He returned to Orange County in 1966 to teach and coach football at San Clemente High School.

In February of 1968, George was hired as one of the first five employees of brand-new Saddleback College. He developed curriculum for physical education and health classes while also serving as Athletic Director and Head Football Coach. The community college's athletic teams competed in all major sports and in those opening years, George coached football teams that won 5 conference championships in 7 years of play. Two more "State Finalist" titles were earned in the next 3 years of play. The Hartman record for the formative years of Saddleback College football is 57-11-4.

George taught a total of 41 years in high schools and colleges in Southern California. His overall football coaching record is 125-39-7. He was Coach of the Year eight times in the various conferences in which the Gauchos competed.

George became a father in December of 1954 when the Hartman's son, David, was born. Then six years later, the family welcomed a daughter, Donna. He was preceded in death by one sister, Juanita Wesson, and one brother, Harry J Hartman.

Recently, a former player from one of George's Savanna High School teams, Dr. Harold Glass, established a graduate fellowship in George's name "to honor the importance of remembering those who have made a difference in our lives."Its' home is one of Harold's alma maters, the Graduate School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In May of 2014, the "George Hartman Summer Research Fellowship" was awarded to a deserving student who is pursuing his doctorate there.

Also in 2014, George was chosen to be inducted into the California Community College Football Coaches Hall of Fame in the Class of 2015. The ceremony will take place in March.

He is survived by his wife, Mary Lynn of Coto de Caza, CA; son David and Teresa Hartman of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho; daughter Donna and Doug Haley of Sedalia, Missouri; and, granddaughter Heather and Josh Hodosh of Trabuco Canyon, California. Family survivors also include: brother-in-law John and Jan Walden of Anaheim, CA; nephew Johnny and Rene Walden and their children, Andrew, Lucas and Noah, of Anaheim, CA; niece Jennifer and Martin Perez and their children, Dante, Jacob, Madelynn and Roman, of Placentia, CA. Also surviving are many friends and former players on Hartman-coached athletic teams.

A funeral service for George will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, February 6, 2015 in the Plaza Room of Saddleback Church, One Saddleback Parkway, Lake Forest, CA. Afterward, a reception will be held in the Terrace Cafe, on the third floor above the Plaza Room. Family and friends are also invited to the Graveside Rites with Military Honors at Pacific View Memorial Park, 3500 Pacific View Drive, Corona del Mar, CA. This ceremony will begin at 2:15 p.m.

The family asks that those who wish to honor George's memory choose, in lieu of flowers, to make a memorial contribution with a check payable to "The Bluefield Project to Cure Frontotemporal Dementia."Please include a note that your gift is made in memory of George Hartman. Checks should be mailed to: The Bluefield Project to Cure Frontotemporal Dementia, 1650 Owens Street, Suite 205, San Francisco, CA 94158. If you would like to make a gift online, please visit http://www.bluefieldproject.org/donate. For online gifts, please also send an email noting that you are memorializing George Hartman to [email protected].

The Hartman Family also wishes to thank the devoted staff of doctors and nurses at Sea Crest Hospice Services for their care of George during the final days of his illness.