OBITUARY
 

Jana Kay (McKee) Riggins Though she was no more than 5-feet tall, everyone looked up to Jana Riggins. In grade school and high school and college, and when she was a young teacher in North Texas and savvy veteran teacher in Northeast Texas, she was always a force to be reckoned with, and that was before she joined the mighty University Interscholastic League, which provided her a platform fully equal to her personality and passions. Over the next 30 years as UIL director of speech and debate, she established herself as one of the most influential educators in her field by putting in more hours, sitting on more committees, editing more papers and giving more generously in all sorts of ways than anyone should ever feel compelled to. Eventually, the impact of all of this doing and giving took its toll, so not so very long ago, she announced her intention to retire. She had 50 years in the system and a passel of grandchildren to dote on, so she decided it was time. All she had to do was make it to August 31. She didn’t. Jana died August 26. The funeral service is scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 2 at FBC (First Baptist Church) Pflugerville, 306 South 10th Street, Pflugerville, Texas. In addition to nieces and nephews, survivors include: • Brothers Ken McKee of Oak Grove, Missouri, and Joel McKee of Round Rock. • Son Mark Riggins (wife Julie) of College Station, granddaughter Camryn Rogers (husband Patrick) great-grandchild June Joyce; grandchildren Jake Riggins and Drew Riggins. • Son Matthew Riggins of Princeton, Texas (wife Katelyn); grandchildren Layne and Lily Riggins. • Son Joshua Riggins of Liberty Hill (wife Megan); grandchildren Graham, Cohen and Tatum Riggins. • Son Caleb Riggins of New Braunfels. ••• Jana Kay McKee was born July 15, 1955 to Bill and Joyce McKee of Mabank, Texas. It’s approximately 21 miles northwest of Athens and five miles north of Gun Barrel City. Her first foray into public speaking came in the second grade, when she participated in a contest called “Declamation.” She was hooked immediately. “I still remember the thrill and fright of stepping out on the stage to recite,” she recalled. A joiner and a natural leader, she amassed an enviable academic and extracurricular record at Mabank High, then entered Baylor University, then was a student teacher at Connally High in Waco where she met Johnny Riggins. They married on March 28, 1981 at the First Baptist Church in Mabank and moved to Carrollton to teach at R.L. Turner High. Two years later, they landed in Kaufman where she built one of the state’s most successful programs. As her students began winning gold medals and blue ribbons, she started receiving awards and recognitions from all over. In 1991, she was one of 10 academic coaches/sponsors statewide to be chosen for the inaugural class of UIL Sponsor Excellence Award recipients. It fully announced her arrival. Six years later, when a position with the UIL became available, she applied for it and was seen as the odds-on favorite to get it. Former UIL academic director Bobby Hawthorne said he remembers chatting with a prominent speech and debate coach about the three or four finalists. “He told me, ‘If you have a chance to hire Jana Riggins, and you don’t take it, you’re the biggest fool alive,’” he said. “He was right, and Jana was the best hire I ever made.” In addition to her UIL-specific tasks, she became particularly active in the campaign to keep speech communication as a graduation requirement for all Texas high school students. Her efforts toward that were among the deciding factors in her receiving the National Federation of High Schools’ prestigious “Citation Award” in 2013. Not that anyone might have noticed. Her office almost always appeared a mess. Her desk was generally buried under stacks of books, folders, journals, news magazines as well as church or school literature. Meanwhile, the floor was strewn with all sorts of UIL, TFA, TASA and other Acronym City flotsam, which is not to suggest she was disorganized. Heaven forbid. She was uber-organized. She rarely if ever struggled to find whatever it was she was searching for when she had time to search. More often than not, she seemed to be on the phone, answering desperate calls from teachers she’d met — befriended, actually — at some Saturday conference in Kilgore or Kingsville and who felt comfortable asking her for instruction or advice. For example, if a young teacher needed help with a documentation or evidence question, Jana would help him or her find it. If a new contest manager stationed far out on the frontier needed help securing good judges for a district meet, Jana would make a few inquiries, and the problem would be solved. This required working late and missing dinners at home, but Johnny understood. Many times, he’d bring her a plate of freshly baked chocolate pecan cookies. Jana also immersed herself at work in “Wizard of Oz” and “Phantom of the Opera” and all sorts of things Green and Gold, which she used like garlic cloves to ward off the Longhorns lurking all about. “The best and worst things about Jana were her passion and her inexhaustible energy,” Hawthorne said. “She would literally work herself to a nub.” That didn’t change after Johnny died the day after Christmas, 2009. She neither waffled nor wilted. Instead, she fulfilled all of her parental obligations while doing more than her share to help the UIL overcome assorted political, cultural and technological challenges such as the Covid-19 pandemic and, even worse, the rocky implementation of the League’s online entry and management system. As always, she improved what was there and invented what wasn’t when she figured it was needed. “Her unwavering work ethic led her to create meticulous categories for oral interpretation contests and research topics for extemporaneous speaking and debate contests,” Dr. David Stevens, UIL academic director, said. She also introduced a new UIL contest focused on Congressional Debate, with finals held at the Texas State Capitol every year, thus bringing the legislative process to life as participants debated the legislation they’d just written. “It’s grown into one of the most popular speaking events offered by League,” Stevens added. “That’s the kind of effect Jana had. Her contributions have left a lasting impact, and her legacy will live on through the countless students, teachers and colleagues she inspired and the students, teachers and colleagues they inspire.” ••• To more purposely honor Jana’s legacy, the Riggins family is establishing a scholarship in her name at Baylor University. In lieu of flowers, please contribute to that scholarship. Details to come.