Willingness to Learn

John’s fondness and appreciation for education and educators is well documented. He consistently acknowledged and thanked his impactful teachers in various public forums. John maintained friendships with educators. He sought their advice and reciprocated with assistance whenever asked and many times without request.

One of John’s earliest defining moments in formal education occurred at the start of 4th grade when Pasadena Public Schools complied with a District Court order to desegregate. His newly-integrated neighborhood elementary school, Cleveland, received increased resources, which John duly noticed.

After Cleveland, he attended McKinley Junior High School, where he benefitted from numerous dedicated teachers. At Blair High School, teacher Gladys Roshko had an enormous impact on John’s life. I would argue that most of her students developed excellent writing skills that served them well in their respective professional careers. John also had the pleasure of getting to know film director John Singleton who was one of Gladys Roshko’s students. John spoke with Mrs. Roshko weekly until she passed away. There were many other educators that he admired and respected:

Mrs. Sam Yarbrough, Mrs. Alma Stokes, Mrs. Carol Korobey Willett, Dr. Shirley Cox, Mr. Charles Dickerson, Mr. Norman Morrow, Dr. Eddie Newman, Ms. Judy McAlpin, Mrs. Williams – to name a few.

John titled his 2018 Commencement Address to Pacific Oaks College “An Ode to Gladys.” In his address, he detailed the profound legacy of Mrs. Roshko. At the beginning of each semester, Mrs. Roshko required each student to write on a piece of paper the grade he or she desired to achieve in her class. John wrote “A” on his piece of paper (and he suspected many of his classmates did as well). John realized that the human mind responds not only to the expectation of others, but also to the expectation of ourselves. Additionally, expectations are self-fulfilling. He appreciated that Gladys Roshko knew that a child who expected excellence stood a good chance of achieving excellence. Additionally, Mrs. Roshko, a Canadian by birth, took the time to understand her students no matter their ethnicity. She wanted to understand this Black student from modest means and knew John could be an example to other students, particularly those often overlooked or dismissed as lacking and unworthy due to their race. Mrs. Roshko treated all her students as precious and worthy of respect.

John worked hard in Mrs. Roshko’s class. He stayed after class for tutoring, completed all the homework, and prepped for quizzes and tests. Unfortunately, he received lower than an “A,” but the enhanced confidence provided the foundation for future achievements. The most powerful and enduring lesson that John learned from Mrs. Roshko was that every child has potential, and great teachers find ways to identify, tap, and nurture that potential. Additionally, John maintained lifelong connections with other teachers from McKinley Junior High School. Most recently, John asked Alma Stokes to speak at the June 2022 dedication of the historic monuments at the 10 West Walnut Development at the former Parsons site in Old Town Pasadena. He worked with Mrs. Stokes and another former McKinley teacher, Sam Yarbrough, on various community projects over the years. He sought counsel from them, and he then worked with them to uplift the community and bring about change. He thanked those McKinley teachers and other teachers at his Community Swearing-In that celebrated his first election to the Pasadena City Council.

Those amazing teachers provided a foundation and inspiration that led to John to pursue and receive undergraduate degrees in International Relations and Economics from the University of Southern California and a Juris Doctor degree from

Howard University School of Law. A loyal alum, he served on the board of the USC Black Alumni and raised significant amounts for scholarships. Additionally, he helped many students get into USC and then worked to ensure that they graduated. At Howard, he built some strong, lasting relationships. The experience at a Black university helped shape the person he became.

As President of the Pasadena NAACP, he spearheaded an effort to raise and award significantly increased amounts of scholarships. Understanding that financial assistance was essential, he had the NAACP award students $25,000 scholarships. He also understood that in addition to financial assistance, students needed mentoring and accordingly he structured a program by which the NAACP scholarship team interacted with the students regularly, and the students engaged in NAACP activities during their summer and spring breaks. The NAACP interaction enhanced the students’ social and personal life. Once again, he ensured that the necessary ingredients for success were in place. Closer to home, he regularly encouraged nieces, nephews, and godchildren to pursue higher education.

In addition to formal education, John appreciated informal forms of education. He strongly believed in lifelong learning, which could take many forms. With learning in his DNA, he constantly sought knowledge and researched issues he did not know to be a more effective advocate. One form of informal learning occurred via his extensive travel and exposure to diverse cultures. He made a concerted effort to interact with intelligent people from all levels of society. He also believed that while some may not pursue higher education, everyone should engage in lifelong learning by reading as well as seeking training.

Throughout his careers and businesses, he received numerous certificates – Federal Emergency Management Agency, University of California (project management), Rockhurst University (strategic thinking), Univ of Redlands (police executive leadership), and Notre Dame (diversity training).

John believed that advisors could play an important role in assisting us along life’s journey. Their knowledge of the road ahead is invaluable and will keep you from falling. He valued and maintained close contact with his advisors and confidants.

John’s well-rounded view of education and learning is instructive. That view was built on key pillars –a thirst for knowledge serves us well; knowledge can come from many sources in many forms; making learning an ongoing, conscious exercise is essential; and we owe it to future generations to share what we know.