Jean F. White

Miss White was, quite simply, that wonderful teacher and person you never forget. And if you hear someone describing the one or two teachers that made a real difference in their life, in my case you'd be talking about Miss White.

Miss White always wrote the date on the blackboard with a comment about the Peanuts comic strip. She had a wonderful sense of humor. I wish I had kept the hand-out she created for our study of the Fertile Crescent, illustrated with stick figures. There was one labeled "Mother is cooking a roast." She cared about what we had to say in our essays in English class. One grade was for content, with a line drawn and another grade under it for mechanics. I remember so much of what she taught...

Miss White was simply the best teacher I've ever had. I was in her 7th and 8th grade classes at Terman Junior High School in Palo Alto, CA, I believe 1960-62. I met my dear friend Diane DeBell in those classes and can never forget the brilliance of our fellow student John Badenhop, who also writes here. Miss White was Dianne's and my idol. We practically stalked her and created very imaginary personal stories about her. She was instrumental in teaching me writing skills and grammar and...

I taught social studies in Palo Alto for ten years with Jean White as my department chairman. She became my surrogate mother when I was 24 and my mother died. I benefited from her generosity and kindness to me outside the classroom from 1964-2008. She was an extraordinary teacher, department chairman and counselor. There will be a memorial service for Jean at the Terman Library in Palo Alto December 14th 3-5 p.m.

I never met Jean personally. She was a long-lost cousin from the States. The family had not made contact for more than 100 years, since my grandparents came to South America as missionaries. She was very nice and affectionate on the phone. May she rest in peace.

I attended Miss White's English and Social Studies classes during my 7th and 8th Grade years from Fall 1960 to Spring 1962 at Terman Jr. High in Palo Alto, California. Miss White both encouraged/fostered my interest in Ancient and Medieval History while tolerating my difficult personality. She always addresed individuals and groups as moral and intellectual equals, even when in sharp disagreement.
In Spring 1978, just in time before Terman closed, I went and found Miss White still...