More detail on this person: Retired Maj. Gen.
John H. Stanford - former deputy commanding
general of the U.S. Army Aviation Systems
Command - died in Seattle, Wash., on November
28 following a seventh-month battle with leukemia.
He was 60.
During his 30 years on active duty Stanford held a
variety of important posts. In addition to his
tenure at AVSCOM, Stanford served as executive
secretary to Secretary of Defense Caspar
Weinberger from November 1981 to June 1984. His
last assignment was with the U.S. Transportation
Command (TRANSCOM), at Scott Air Force Base,
Ill., where he oversaw Operation Desert Storm
plans and programs. Following his retirement from
active duty Stanford became a county manager in
Fulton County, Ga. He became the Seattle
superintendent of schools in July 1995 - a
position he held until his death - and had
delivered the education address to the Democratic
National Convention in Chicago August 1996.
Stanford was buried in Section 7A of Arlington
National Cemetery on Friday, Dec. 4. His wife,
Patricia, received the flag covering his casket
from Army Chief of Staff Gen. Dennis J. Reimer.
Donations in Stanford's memory may be made to:
The John Stanford Endowment Fund for Seattle
Schools at the Alliance for Education, 500 Union
Street,
Suite 300, Seattle, WA 98101 (20) 343-0449; or The
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 1100
Fairview Ave N., Seattle, WA 98019 (206) 667-4902.
From: Barbara Ross, AAAA National Office
John Henry Stanford, Sept. 14, 1938 - Nov. 28,
1998: Seattle schools chief dies after battle with
leukemia
by Jolayne Houtz and Dick Lilly, Seattle Times
staff reporters
John Henry Stanford, the energetic former army
general who captured the hopes and hearts of a
city with his charismatic style as Seattle schools
superintendent, died at 1:35 a.m. today at
Swedish Medical Center. He was 60.
Mr. Stanford had been undergoing treatment for
acute myelogenous leukemia, which was diagnosed
in March.
Memorial gathering: An informal gathering to give
people an opportunity to share their grief over
Mr. Stanford's death is scheduled to begin at 11
a.m. today, near the International Fountain at
Seattle Center.
"His death was due to the reoccurrence of his
leukemia and complications from the subsequent
treatment for the leukemia," according to a
statement from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer
Research Center. Mr. Stanford underwent a
stem-cell transplant under the supervision of the
center's doctors in August and has been under
their care since.
Despite the transplant, which is similar in
purpose to a bone marrow transplant, Mr.
Stanford's cancer returned in mid-October. He had
been hospitalized for about six weeks, and his
calls to school district officials - which during
previous treatments still came enthusiastically
and almost daily - had dwindled almost to silence.
"This news makes us all terribly sad. Our thoughts
and prayers go out to John's family and we ask
that the community support them during this
difficult time," said Barbara Schaad-Lamphere,
School Board president.
Share your memories: You can read what others
have said at
http://www.seattletimes.com/stanford/share/index.h
tml
"What a privilege it has been to work with such a
remarkable man," Schaad-Lamphere said this
morning. "His legacy will be a focus on children .
. . to have education, children's lives at the
center of everything we do in this city."
"John dedicated every ounce of himself to our
children," said Seattle Mayor Paul Schell. "He put
public education at the top of the civic agenda,
and leaves us with a legacy of community
responsibility to our children and their
education. It is now up to all of us to continue
the fight, to strive to achieve the goals John
laid out for Seattle's families and children."
Said Gov. Gary Locke: "John Stanford was a
creative and thoughtful educational leader and one
of the best things that ever happened to Seattle
public schools. He was an incredible role
model."
"We have lost an incredible leader and a dear,
dear friend. Our staff, this city and the children
we serve will miss him dearly," said Joseph
Olchefske, who has been acting superintendent
since June. "John has been a brother, a friend, a
partner and a leader to all of us. I wish this day
were not here."
An informal gathering to give people an
opportunity to share their grief over Mr.
Stanford's death was scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.
today near the International Fountain at Seattle
Center, school officials said.
A memorial service will be scheduled next week,
likely at Key Arena, said Trevor Neilson, school
district spokesman. Principals will be meeting
Sunday at district headquarters to coordinate
their plans.
Mr. Stanford will be buried at Arlington National
Cemetery near Washington, D.C. The family has
asked that in lieu of flowers those wishing to
remember him should direct their contributions to
the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center or the
Alliance for Education, the non-profit civic
organization that raises private funds for the
Seattle School District. Donations in Mr.
Stanford's name will be placed in an endowment
fund in his memory, said Joel Groen, vice
president and development director for the
Alliance.
On Monday, the school district expects to have
counselors in every school. "Kids in Seattle knew
John and he knew them personally. We want to
make sure they have a chance to express their
grief," said Neilson.
One way Mr. Stanford made his mark on the district
was through the children. He was constantly
visiting schools. "He loved the children and they
knew it," said Schaad-Lamphere. Among students,
"he was more recognizable than the governor at
times," she said.
Olchefske said he visited several schools with Mr.
Stanford and members of the rock band Pearl Jam.
The kids ran up to Stanford, not the famous band
members, Olchefske recalled.
Nor did Mr. Stanford forget the children. Having
inspired one young girl who was thrilled to read
on stage with him at a public event, Mr. Stanford
asked about her grades when he next visited the
girl's school, said Pat Sander, then-principal at
Bailey Gatzert Elementary School.
Drawing other people into his dreams, making them
feel a part of what was going on, was part of his
greatness, Sander said, remembering an evening
event at her school with her parents at the back
of the room. Seeing them, Mr. Stanford told the
students that he was sure their principal's mother
and father read to each other every night.
Improving students' reading was Mr. Stanford's
first initiative upon joining the district, and a
goal he pursued without letup.
Throughout his eight-month fight with leukemia,
Mr. Stanford never gave up, said those close to
him. During a long coversation in his hospital
room a week ago, Neilson said he asked Mr.
Stanford if he ever wondered "Why me?"
" 'Trevor,' " said Mr. Stanford, "leaders don't
have the luxury of self pity.' "
Mr. Stanford was born Sept. 14, 1938, in the
Philadelphia suburb of Darby, Pa. After a
successful career in the U.S. Army, from which he
retired as a major general in 1991, he served as
county manager of Fulton County, Ga., before
coming to Seattle as school superintendent in
1995.
With his commanding leadership style and an
infectious optimism, Mr. Stanford brought a
renewed sense of hope and excitement about public
schools to Seattle. Test scores, enrollment,
public support and private donations to the
schools all increased during his tenure.
`The job he was born to do'
In Seattle, "John found the job he was born to
do," said Don Nielsen, School Board vice
president, who helped recruit Mr. Stanford for the
job and then became a close friend.
This is the second time in less than 18 months
that a much-loved leader has died of this disease
in Seattle. Catholic Archbishop Thomas Murphy
died June 26, 1997, at the age of 64, of a brain
hemorrhage while undergoing chemotherapy for the
same kind of leukemia.
Like Murphy, Mr. Stanford will be remembered for
his tireless efforts and the passionate focus he
brought to his work on behalf of children as well
as his courage in the face of cancer.
In his three-plus years on the job, Mr. Stanford's
enthusiasm inspired people far beyond the schools
themselves.
He attracted national attention as one of the rare
examples of a non-educator leading an urban
school district. The district received weekly
calls from the national media and educators
wanting information about Mr. Stanford and the
Seattle schools.
But Mr. Stanford deflected the praise, instead
attributing the successes to principals, teachers
and students and turning that belief into his
oft-repeated mantra: "The victory is in the
classroom."
He asked well-wishers to focus on the schools
rather than on his battle with cancer, and the
city responded by donating more than $550,000 to
a special book fund in his honor.
Inspired by the children
Seattle Mayor Paul Schell said Mr. Stanford
broadened people's vision of the place of schools
in their neighborhoods and in the city. He had
"true passion and (was) not afraid to step out
there and be a real cheerleader, and a real
motivator."
Schell remembers Mr. Stanford telling him that
"when he (Mr. Stanford) was really exhausted he
would go off to a school somewhere and talk to the
kids and that would give him energy."
Dorothy Dubia, communications director for Seattle
Public Schools during Mr. Stanford's first two
years on the job, probably saw as much of the
superintendent in action as anyone in the city
during that time.
"I soon learned that `impossible,' `can't,'
`retreat' and `failure' were not in his
vocabulary," she said. "I also learned he had a
strategic reason for nearly everything he did" -
including the trial balloons he frequently floated
during his first year, often taking his staff by
surprise.
"He was focused on the strategy, and it worked,"
Dubia said. "He did create excitement and interest
in the Seattle Public Schools. He did stimulate
discussion and find solutions. And he did make a
difference in the lives of our children and
taxpayers."
Carolyn Stanford Adams, Mr. Stanford's oldest
sister, who was the donor in the Aug. 11 stem-cell
transplant doctors hoped might defeat his cancer,
talked about her brother in an interview last
summer.
"Leadership ability has always been a part of him,
but I think that when he came and realized he
could make a difference for children - that's what
it's been about for him," she said. "It's the
rapport with the children that's catapulted him
into this enthusiasm."
Stanford Adams said she wasn't surprised about
the leadership her brother exhibited in Seattle.
From the age of 12 or 13, Mr. Stanford was always
like this, she said, leading fellow students as
class president, organizing activities for
neighborhood friends.
"He was never content to follow," she said.
District at a key point in reform
That leadership skill is what the Seattle School
District will miss most. The district is at a key
point in its reform efforts, and there's a
critical need for a strong leader to carry
through initiatives Mr. Stanford launched.
Making real changes in the classroom is delicate
work, requiring a leader who can maintain and
build on what's already been accomplished, who
can win the trust of teachers using both a firm
hand and a diplomatic touch.
But it's a bigger role now than it was three years
ago. Mr. Stanford redefined the job of urban
school superintendent to encompass civic
leadership, not just school administration.
Finding someone with his unique combination of
vision, energy and personal magnetism to meet the
public's new, heightened expectations is likely to
prove challenging.
It's unclear who will fill that job. The Seattle
School Board has not publicly discussed a plan for
what to do next. For now, Joseph Olchefske, the
district's chief operating officer, who has been
acting superintendent during Mr. Stanford's
treatment, will continue in that role.
Mr. Stanford is survived by his wife, Patricia;
sons Steven and Scott; and his sisters, Cecile
Stanford Williams of Yeadon, Pa., and Carolyn
Stanford Adams of Miami.
Burial information: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA
This information was last updated 05/18/2016
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