Lasting Memories

John D. Hancock
April 25, 1925-May 22, 2014
Palo Alto, California

John D. Hancock, 89, a Palo Alto resident of almost 60 years, passed away May 22, 2014. After growing up in Los Angeles, he enlisted in the Navy during WWII, trained in aviation electronics in Monterey and served in Hawaii. Educated at Occidental College and University of Southern California, John earned his M.A. and Ed.D at Stanford. He married in 1948 and began his career teaching mathematics at Mountain View and Capuchino High Schools.

In 1959, a leave of absence allowed study under renowned Hungarian mathematician, Dr. George Polya, at Stanford. He then accepted a post at California State University Hayward (now CSUEB) where he taught until 1994. Active in both the Math and Education departments, John supervised and mentored fledgling math teachers. He also designed an extensive math curriculum for aspiring general education teachers, which proved to be the most rigorous in the CSU system. His teaching extended to his interest in microcomputers and programming. Interested in publishing, he authored numerous articles and innovative math books.

During the summers, John accepted teaching assignments throughout the country. In the 60s, he taught math courses for Syracuse University twice at the Chautauqua Institution; another summer he instructed at the Teacher's College, Columbia University; and in the 70s, he taught Peace Corps trainees on the Big Island of Hawaii.

A visionary for math education, he was a founder of the esteemed Asilomar Math Conference (now in its 56th year).

John was a political activist during the Vietnam War. Strongly against the draft, he and his first wife spearheaded, "Parents Against the Draft," which placed a full-page letter in the Washington Post twice during a critical point of the war. He later served as the Executive Secretary of the National Council to Repeal the Draft in Washington, D.C., from 1972 to 1973 (the archives now preserved in Swarthmore College's Peace Collection).

A serious competitor and avid athletics fan, his hobbies included bridge (where he attained the title of Life Master), bowling and tennis. While in London on sabbatical from 1967 to 1968, he studied table tennis at London's Crystal Palace National Sports Centre.

John spent much of his free time at "Aftermath," his beloved house in La Selva Beach.

John was a warm and caring husband, father and step-grandfather. He is greatly missed and survived by his wife, Mary Gordon; his children, Mark, Gaye and Autumn; and brother James Hancock (wife Jean), nieces and nephews. Mary's children Ruth and Steve, step-grandchildren and step-great-grandchildren also survive him.