KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A beloved music teacher at Oak Park High School was among the 12 people killed in a plane crash in Bates County, Missouri, leaving students, parents, and former students grieving the loss of a man they say shaped countless lives.
The North Kansas City School District notified parents that Dave Hershberger, an orchestra teacher, died in Sunday's crash.
The plane was carrying a group of skydivers in Butler, Missouri, and went down before noon on Sunday. 12 people died in the crash.
The investigation into the cause of the crash remains ongoing.
A video shared by the Kansas City Wind Symphony shows Hershberger playing trumpet during a concert in February 2026.
Travis Brooks, an Oak Park High School parent whose son was a student of Hershberger's, said the loss hit close to home.
"One of my son's teachers, Mr. Hershberger, makes it even closer to home," Brooks said.
Dr. Langston Hemenway, conductor of the Kansas City Wind Symphony, remembered Hershberger as someone the organization could always rely on.
"This is a huge, huge loss," Hemenway said in a phone call with KSHB 41 News Reporter Ryan Gamboa. "Dave was always saying yes for the symphony and to people. We could always count on him. Through all his contributions to the community and commitments, Dave found a way to remain committed and make time for our symphony. He will be extremely missed."
Brooks described the impact Hershberger had on students in the classroom.
"Every day that you can, you make it positive. Make positive changes in everybody's life, like Mr. Hershberger. He affected countless number of kids' lives," Brooks said.
Amanda Blackmon is among the former students still processing the news. She was a student of Hershberger's for four years at Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kansas, from 2005 to 2009, where he taught her to play the drums.
She continues to pursue a music career with her band, Chromera HQ, using the skills she learned from him.
"It doesn't feel real quite yet," Blackmon said in a virtual interview from Los Angeles, California.
Blackmon reflected on the teacher she remembered.
"He is one of my good memories from high school," Blackmon said. "It sounds cliché, but we'll be living a little bit more with him in mind, that's for sure."
Numerous families and friends are still processing Sunday's crash as the school and district work through the loss.
"I think it's gonna be a little bit longer than most to get over something like this with Mr. Hershberger," Brooks added. "It’s some big shoes to fill."
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