John Stanford (general)

John Henry Stanford (September 14, 1938 – November 28, 1998) was a United States Army major general who later became superintendent of public schools in Seattle.[1][2]

John Stanford
Birth nameJohn Henry Stanford
BornSeptember 14, 1938
Darby, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedNovember 28, 1998 (aged 60)
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Buried
Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance United States
Service/branch United States Army
Years of service1961–1991
RankMajor General
Alma materPenn State, B.A., 1961
Spouse(s)Patricia
Children2 sons
Other workFulton County Executive,
Superintendant of
Seattle Public Schools

Early life and education

Born in Darby, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia, Stanford graduated from Yeadon High School and Pennsylvania State University, earning a B.A. in political science. In 1975, he received a master's degree in personnel management from Central Michigan University.[3]

Military service

Stanford entered the U.S. Army in 1961 after college and rose to the rank of major general (O-8). He served during the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm and also worked as executive assistant to Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger.[4]

Fulton County Executive

In 1991, Stanford was hired as executive of Fulton County, Georgia. As county executive in Atlanta, he earned praise from civic leaders, though progress on his agenda of cutting bureaucracy and waste in county government was often impeded by infighting among members of the county commission.[5]

Seattle Schools Superintendent

Without a background in educational administration, he was recruited in 1995 for the post of superintendent of the Seattle Public Schools, becoming the school district's first African-American administrator.[1] Stanford believed the school system exhibited the lethargic characteristics of a monopoly and said it had "an inward kind of thinking that is more concerned about the comfort of the people who run the system than the public it is supposed to serve."[6] Arriving in Seattle, Stanford reassigned one-third of the district's principals. He announced that poor customer service by staff would be punishable by firing, students who did not meet minimum academic requirements would be prevented from advancing to the next grade level, and that future school construction would be "on cost and on time."[7] He also moved to end desegregation busing.

Stanford was seen as a charismatic, popular leader, and - in his first year on the job - was credited with helping to raise more than $2 million in private donations to support district initiatives. Dropout rates in Seattle schools declined and SAT scores rose during his tenure. The Seattle school board reported that Stanford had met all ten of the goals they had established on his hiring. Some teachers, however, criticized Stanford's emphasis on standardized testing and he was forced to back down from an initiative to allow corporate sponsorships of extracurricular programs in the face of parent opposition.[8] Several of Stanford's proposals, such as introducing school uniforms and restricting the issuance of driver's licenses to students known to affiliate with gangs, never gained traction.

In 1996, Stanford addressed the Democratic National Convention.[9]

Death

Stanford announced he had leukemia in April 1998; he was treated at Swedish Medical Center by physicians from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and died seven months later at age sixty.[2][10]

Legacy

Stanford's death was announced on the front page of The Seattle Times, which the newspaper later made available in commemorative poster form. A memorial service held at the University of Washington's Hec Edmundson Pavilion was attended by 2,500; he was buried with military honors at Arlington National Cemetery the next day,[11] in a ceremony attended by Colin Powell and Richard Riley.[12]

The Seattle school district headquarters facility, the John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence, was renamed after Stanford, and the Seattle school district's Latona School was renamed John Stanford International School.

Following Stanford's death, a Stanford Endowment was established to fund teacher training and leadership programs, receiving an early donation of $2 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.[13]

Stanford's book, Victory in Our Schools: We Can Give Our Children Excellent Public Education, was published the year after this death. In it, he argues for schools to be run like businesses, based on performance.[14] The foreword of the book was contributed by Al Gore.

References
  1. Egan, Timothy (November 5, 1995). "Seattle's new superintendent issue 'call to action'". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). (New York Times). p. 14A.
  2. Hubbell, John (November 29, 1998). "Seattle school superintendent dies from leukemia". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. p. 1C.
  3. "Remembering John Stanford, His Life and Legacy". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  4. Foster, David (December 2, 1998). "Seattle schools chief was 'perfect and improving'". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. (Idaho-Washington). Associated Press. p. 6A.
  5. "Stanford Has Week To Mull Job Offer -- Seattle School Prospect May Be Ready To Move". The Seattle Times. June 15, 1995. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  6. Sparks, Linda (2005). The Political Ecology of a School Board Decision to Hire a Nontraditional Superintendent (Ph.D.). University of North Florida.
  7. "John Stanford becomes superintendent of Seattle Public Schools on September 1, 1995". HistoryLink. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  8. "Leading The Charge". The Seattle Times. 2 July 1997. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  9. "John Stanford, 60, General and School Chief". New York Times. 29 November 1998. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  10. "Seattle schools help staff deal with death". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. November 30, 1998. p. 7A.
  11. Lilly, Dick (December 3, 1998). "A Hero's Farewell". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  12. "Army, dignitaries and Seattle friends say goodbye to Stanford". The Seattle Times. December 4, 1998.
  13. "Gates Foundation Donates $2M To John Stanford Endowment". KOMO News. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  14. "Victory in Our Schools: We Can Give Our Children Excellent Public Education". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
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