Perhaps only Steve Ward, the math teacher, could calculate the number of students he positively impacted during his 43 years with Clovis Unified School District.

There would be the Clovis High students he taught during his 16 years as a mathematics instructor.

“My Algebra 1 teacher,” Craig Howell said on Facebook upon learning of Mr. Ward’s recent death. “Really enjoyed his class.”

Added commenter Natalie Lay: “Me too! He was a great person!”

There are also the countless runners he mentored as the Cougars’ longtime cross country and track coach.

“I appreciated his kind and encouraging nature,” said former Clovis High cross country team member Michelle Zumwalt.

A Calling to Coach Young Runners

Forty of the runners came in from all over the country to see Mr. Ward inducted into the Clovis Unified Athletic Hall of Fame in November 2024. Many of those same athletes have phoned Mr. Ward’s wife, Debbie, to share their condolences and stories since his passing on Thursday, May 28.

“He really wanted to coach,” Debbie Ward said. “That’s really why he pursued teaching. He found it fulfilling, and he was successful at it, too.”

Blessed with a sharp and analytical mind, Mr. Ward initially thought about becoming a doctor as he studied biological science at Fresno Pacific University.

He discovered, however, that a doctor’s duties made him squeamish. He also contemplated a career in medical administration. But the lure of coaching and working with young runners was too powerful to ignore.

A Dedication to Clovis Unified

Equal to his passion for coaching was his dedication to Clovis Unified, which he joined in 1977 after teaching math at Fresno Unified for a year. If there was a job to do, he did it.

Most notably, Mr. Ward served as chief operating officer of the Center for Advanced Research and Technology, a high school attended by Clovis and Fresno students. CART today is recognized by experts as a national model in education.

Mr. Ward also served as interim district superintendent in the summer of 2011 following the sudden retirement of David Cash and before the appointment of Janet Young.

Among his other roles: counselor, learning director, deputy principal, assistant superintendent, and associate superintendent.

In his final years with Clovis Unified, Mr. Ward served as the district’s legislative analyst. He worked, too, as an advocate for the “California School Funding Coalition,” a consortium of 57 school districts.

A lifelong learner, Mr. Ward earned a Master of Science in Educational Administration from National University.

“Steve was a great contributor to Clovis Unified at so many levels during his long career in the district,” said Steve Weil, who worked for the district for more than three decades. “It was a pleasure to know and work with him. No one was more loyal and committed to the mission of the district.”

A Tribute That Quickly Grew in Significance

Debbie Ward said that the appearance of so many of his former athletes at his Hall of Fame induction in 2024 meant the world to him. A short time later, Mr. Ward would fight for his life after suffering a stroke believed to be caused by a rare fungus infecting his heart.

That runner’s will to keep pushing enabled Mr. Ward to survive, but he spent his final months receiving medical care at home.

Two frequent visitors: Carlo Prandini, the great former Clovis High track and field coach whose educational career arc closely resembled Mr. Ward’s, and cardiologist Don Gregory, a runner and, like Ward, a Fresno Pacific graduate.

Funeral services are pending. This story will be updated when they are announced.