Jarrett Brock

1936 - 2016

Jarrett Brock
September 28, 1936 - October 4, 2016
Santa Cruz
Jarrett Brock, philosopher, seaman, and music lover, passed away on October 4, 2016. He was eighty years old.
Jarrett grew up in New Jersey and attended Rollins College in Florida, where he met Judy Hoffman, his wife of fifty-eight years. After he received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois, Jarrett spent his career teaching philosophy at San Jose State University, where he was a loved and respected colleague and chair of the department. Jarrett retired in 2001. His friend and colleague Tom Leddy points out that Jarrett's chairmanship began a period that continues today in which the philosophy department has been a friendly one, open to a number of different philosophical perspectives, with faculty who were, and are, excellent both as teachers and as researchers. Jarrett did important research on the philosophy of Charles Sanders Peirce, the American Pragmatist; most of his influential articles and papers were on this philosopher.
Jarrett, like many philosophers, loved to argue. He listened to the nuances in his opponent's argument and then could be counted on to have a quirky yet shrewd response. Though he sometimes had a "take no prisoners" attitude in his academic life, Jarrett was a gentle man with children and delighted in their silliness. He could be silly along with them.
Jarrett was a great lover of jazz. During his teenage years, he went to all-night jazz clubs in New York or Philadelphia from his home in New Jersey. During his undergraduate years at Rollins, he played both classical guitar and jazz flute. After he retired, Jarrett took music classes at Cabrillo to learn how to play his alto clarinet in a Cabrillo band. He was also a member of the Westside Community Choir, along with Judy. At Kuumbwa Jazz club in Santa Cruz, his friend Carolyn Shaw recalled that Jarrett often won the "name that tune" contest. He could usually recall the name of the piece and the musicians playing it. Jarrett encouraged his friends to come with him to Kuumbwa and so began a new group of jazz lovers.
For many years, Jarrett and friends, including at various times Russ Cline, department colleague Lou Eastman, Chris Luhn, and Kate Carroll, kept a sailboat in the Santa Cruz Yacht Harbor. On weekends, he and Judy and whatever friends loved the sea and sun, would spend lazy afternoons on the bay, or, if the wind was "ripping," exciting afternoons on the bay.
Jarrett and Judy loved to hike in the Santa Cruz Mountains and in the Sierras, especially around Carson Pass, with their boys. Later, when Andrew and John had left the nest, they continued to hike in the mountains, at times with friends Jeff and Robin Blanchfield, Bill and Carolyn Shaw, Tom Leddy and Karen Haas.
As Jarrett declined with Alzheimer's disease, he was aware of his decreasing abilities, but he courageously maintained his sense of humor. Jarrett passed away with his loving wife Judy and sons Andrew and John at his bedside. In addition to Judy, and Andrew and John, he is survived by his dearly loved daughters-in-law Andrea and Christina, and five grandchildren Keenan, Molly, Will, Lily, and Dylan, of Medford, Oregon, and San Diego, California; his brother Barry Brock of Georgetown, South Carolina; nephew Mike Genthner and sister-in-law Sara Genthner of Ashfield, Massachusetts. His family wishes to thank his devoted caregivers Shea Rich and Jesus Peche.
A private memorial for family and friends is being planned. If you wish to remember Jarrett with a tribute gift, his family asks that you donate to Kuumbwa Jazz. To do so, you can mail a check to Kuumbwa Jazz, 320-2 Cedar Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060; donate online from their website www.kuumbwajazz.org; or, call their business number 831-427-2227 for directions. All tribute gifts are publicly acknowledged on their donor board inside the jazz center and privately acknowledged with a card sent to the family.