Great Plains’ Fortney reflects on career, what’s next

Great Plains Technology Center Superintendent Clarence Fortney’s retirement is set for June 30, with Joelle Jolly to take his place July 1.

For a man who enjoys welding and riding motorcycles, Fortney’s career story is a brazing adventure.

He started his career as a high school welding student at GPTC. Afterwards, he worked for many different companies, including Brown and Root who built the Goodyear plant. Eventually, he came back to the school to teach welding.

“My last day in class, my welding instructor I had in high school my senior year asked me if I’d ever thought about teaching,” Fortney said. “I never really thought about teaching. I always wanted to weld, but he remembered and called me and said they needed a night welding instructor. I just enrolled at Cameron as a full-time student, had not had any classes. I was teaching night class two nights a week from 6-10 (p.m.) and was paid $15 an hour.”

When he’s not working, he likes farming, vacationing in Red River, N.M., riding motorcycles with his wife and welding. If given the opportunity, he would probably like to teach welding again.

“The question came up, ‘Would I consider teaching welding at night,” Fortney said. “I said, ‘Yeah, I think I would. I wouldn’t mind doing that.’ I still have that as a skill set. I’d have to dust my curriculum or books off a little bit. A lot of the stuff we need now is available on the internet.”

One of the things he enjoyed most about working at GPTC is the people and the community.

“I believe in what we do and the services that we provide to our students to give them a better chance for an opportunity for a good career and good job,” Fortney said. “Working with our local businesses and trying to make sure that we’re creating or providing opportunities for a good, well-trained workforce, which is tough. There’s a lot of competing factors there, but it’s believed wholeheartedly that what we do is the right thing.”

Fortney has had many memorable accomplishments throughout his career, including being instrumental in getting the first Fire Training Program for a career tech in the state, purchasing the old Serco building for training expansion and his becoming superintendent.

As Fortney prepares to leave, he will teach Jolly the ropes until she takes his place. 

“A lot of the things that only Mr. Fortney can do will gradually be transitioned to Joelle so that on July 1, we’re not scrambling to make the transition,” Teresa Abrams, Marketing and Communications Director for GPTC said.

Fortney thinks Jolly will do great with her new role.

“We’ve had the opportunity to work the last three years together,” Fortney said. “It’s one of those things where she’s been as involved in anything that I’ve had any decision making or responsibility for. She’s been right there, understands it. She has a different background than me, she has a student services background. She understands counseling, financial aid, federal funds and accreditation. Those are things that she really brings to the table.”

Fortney will miss his staff and the students.

“The one thing I’ll miss, I think, will be the staff,” Fortney said. “I’ve worked with a lot of different people and been reflecting on those individuals over time. All of them have had an impact on me, helping me to get to this point in time. One thing I’m also going to miss is the interaction with the students. It’s great to get up out of the office and go out and watch them. Whether they’re interacting and are having fun or they’re going to lunch or having a break. Especially when they’re at contest and they do well. It makes me feel good and warms my heart.”

His advice to students, educators and everyone else?

“Find your passion,” Fortney said. “If it’s something you’re very interested in on the career tech education side, this being national career tech education month and all. I don’t know that I could have taught any other subject but welding because welding is one that students are interested in. For somebody to learn, they have to have an intrinsic motivation to want to learn that.”