Robert Milton Bonnin

Robert Milton Bonnin September 11, 1925 -- April 25, 2006 After living with prostate cancer since 1991 and undergoing the variety of treatments since, and then contracting lung cancer in 2005, even as a non-smoker, Bob Bonnin died on April 25, 2006 at his home in Menlo Park. He lived in Alameda and the East Bay for 47 years. Mr. Bonnin was born in San Diego and graduated from Hoover High School in 1943. He served in the Army Air Corps and was commissioned as an aerial navigator. After graduation from San Diego State, he married Jo Donahue, and honeymooned in the US and Europe for 8 months, on motorcycle and sidecar. This adventure set the tone for their marriage, lifestyle and many future travels. Bob taught special education students in San Diego and then moved with his family to pre-statehood Anchorage, AK, where he served as a teacher and administrator for three years. He returned to California to attend graduate school at the University of California, Berkeley, receiving his doctorate in The Study of Higher Education. He remained there to teach in the Graduate Internship Program in Teacher Education, an innovative approach to preparing high school teachers. This influenced Bob's philosophy of teacher education throughout his career. When the UC Internship Program was terminated in the 1960's Professor Bonnin relocated to Cal State Hayward where he served until his retirement in 1989. During those years he and his wife, Jo, were able to pursue their lifelong interest in studying other cultures throughout the world by means of foreign travel and service with the Peace Corps. During two periods of leave from Hayward he lived with his wife and five children in Afghanistan for three years and Malaysia for two years as a Peace Corps administrator. Professor Bonnin is survived by Elizabeth (Jo), his wife of 53 years; by his daughter Jennifer Bisset and her husband Alan Altmann of Palo Alto; son Daniel Bonnin and his wife Michelle of San Leandro, son Matthew Bonnin and his wife Christine Venditti of Alameda, and son John Bonnin and his wife Winter of Laguna Beach. He was pre-deceased by daughter Dana. He also is survived by grandchildren Trevor and Alison Bisset, and Aviva and Elana Altmann of Palo Alto, Rory, Adam and Drew Bonnin of San Leandro, and Alex and Zack Bonnin of Laguna Beach; and also by two sisters, Barbara Bonnin of Tucson and Patricia Smith and her husband Robert of Glendale. Memorial gifts may be sent to The Sempervirens Fund, an organization dedicated to preserving Big Basin Redwoods State Park in the Santa Cruz mountains, California's first state park. Drawer BE, Los Altos, CA, 94023. (sempervirens.org). Private services will be held according to Bob's wishes at a later date.