Community remembers longtime Guthrie educator after body is recovered from Arcadia Lake

The community is mourning the loss of a longtime Guthrie educator whose body was recovered from Arcadia Lake on Tuesday night. 

Police identified the body as belonging to 73-year-old Earl Sykes, a former Guthrie educator. 

“When I saw the silver alert yesterday, it was a shock. We saw him just a few months ago and he was great,” said a former colleague and high school band director Charles Bartrug. 

Bartrug and Sykes worked together for 11 years. 

"When we first went there and we were trying to build the program and there was some resistance, he stood right behind us the whole way because I think he believed in what we were trying to do,” Bartrug said. 

Guthrie Public Schools said it learned of Syke’s passing late Tuesday night and released a statement on Wednesday morning. 

According to the district, Sykes graduated from Guthrie Schools in 1970 and began working for them five years later. 

"He was born and raised in Guthrie, went to OSU, got his degree, came right back to Guthrie. He was a lifer for that city and that community and that school district, but outside of the school, he was just a good guy. People liked him," said Bartrug. 

Sykes taught social studies at Guthrie Junior High and American history at Guthrie high school. 

He wore many administrative hats too, including athletic director and principal at separate points in time. 

"He went on every single out-of-state band trip that we did. He came to every concert. He went to every competition. He even visited my wife when she was in the hospital, about to give birth. I mean, he was just that kind of guy," Bartrug shared. 

Sykes retired in 2004 and still attended school events in his retirement, according to Guthrie Schools Superintendent Dr. Mike Simpson. 

Sykes is the second longtime Guthrie educator to pass away this year. Ms. Charlotte Mitchell died at home back in March after serving the district for 31 years.