Jane Dee Hull

1935 - 2020

Jane Dee Hull

Phoenix - Former Governor Jane Dee Hull passed away peacefully at home with family on April 16, 2020 at the age of 84. She was born in Kansas City, Missouri on August 8, 1935 to Mildred (Swenson) Bowersock, a dietitian and Justin Bowersock, a journalist for the Kansas City Star newspaper. Jane attended Shawnee Mission High School where she excelled as a student. It was as Editor of the yearbook, that she interviewed a handsome football player, Terry Hull. They fell in love, married in 1954 and were married 66 years. Both Jane and Terry passed away on the same day, a fitting tribute and final note to their love story.

She graduated from the University of Kansas in 1957 with a B.A. in Education. Jane worked as a teacher in Kansas City while Terry attended medical school. They always had a desire to move west and jumped at the opportunity to move to Chinle, Arizona which is part of the Navajo reservation. She taught elementary school and started a kindergarten program to better prepare students. Jane and Terry loved the two years they spent on the reservation; making many lasting friendships, gaining a great appreciation for Native American culture, and realizing that Arizona would always be their home.

The family moved to Phoenix in 1964. Jane spent her time raising four children, making friendships, traveling, cooking, knitting, reading, playing tennis and bridge and volunteering in the community. She was a Girl Scout leader for 3 years.

Her interest in politics surfaced during her volunteer work on Barry Goldwater's 1964 presidential campaign. She was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives in 1978 and served for 14 years. She quickly rose into leadership positions due to her work ethic, integrity, principles and respect for human dignity. Jane served as Majority Whip before becoming the first female Speaker of the House in 1989. She became the 16th Arizona Secretary of State in 1995. In 1997, she ascended to the position of Governor. She realized what an impact she could have on the quality of life of all Arizonans and ran for Governor in 1998, winning handily and became the first female elected Governor in the state's history. In her first speech, she said "the hallmarks of my administration will be responsibility, integrity, cooperation and efficiency." Governor Hull, known as the Iron Lady, was part of "The Fab Five" when all elected state executive branch offices were won by women.

She became known as the "Education Governor". She was the driving force behind passing the initiative, Proposition 301, which raised sales tax dollars for education; settled the long standing school funding lawsuit which provided for much needed capital money and internet access to all schools. Governor Hull initiated the "Kids Care" program for children of the working poor. She assisted with the establishment of the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) which would help Arizona to become the hub of groundbreaking medical discoveries. In 2001, the Jane Dee Hull Elementary School in Chandler was named in honor of her lifelong commitment to education.

Some of her memorable quotes were: "At the end of the day, the most overwhelming key to a child's success is the positive involvement of parents." "Where else but in America could a schoolteacher from Kansas end up the governor of her adopted state."

Governor Doug Ducey stated "She will be remembered for her strength of conviction, grace and ability to bring people together for the long-term benefit of all Arizonans." Elliot Hibbs said, "She believed all of Arizona was her family and she worked to make Arizona a place of opportunity for every citizen." Jane Dee Hull left a lasting impact on friends, family, educators, her staff members and Arizona. Words that describe her are: trailblazer, pioneer, responsible, honest, committed, caring, leader.

When Governor Hull was asked about her legacy, she wanted "to be remembered for shifting the state's priorities to education and children" and "being a straight shooter."

She enjoyed retirement and quite happily changed security from the Department of Public Safety to her two dogs. As a mother and grandmother, she was simply known as Mom or Grammy Jane; always willing to listen, attend school and athletic events and provide advice if asked. Terry and she enjoyed lake and ocean sailing, golfing, socializing with family and friends and spending as much time as possible in their Pinetop cabin, their second home for over 40 years.

Former Governor Jane Dee Hull is survived by her children; Jeanette Polvani (Ray), Robin Peterson (Dave), Jeffrey Hull (Susan) and Michael Hull (Elena), eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Celebration of Life services have not been planned at this time, information will be communicated at a later date.

Donations may be made in memory of Dr. Terry Hull and Former Governor Jane Dee Hull to Hospice of the Valley, www.hov.org. Please visit hansenmortuary.com for online condolences.