JOHN ARTHUR MAYNARD

June 30, 1947 February 21, 2022

John Arthur Maynard passed away on February 21 after a long struggle with Lewy body disease. He was 74. Maynard was a well-loved history professor at California State University, Bakersfield. He completed his undergraduate degree at University California, Santa Cruz, and a master's degree at Cal State Bakersfield. He obtained a PhD at University of Southern California and taught classes in Recent U.S. History, with an emphasis in California History. John authored three books: Venice West; Bakersfield: A Centennial Portrait; and California: Golden Past, Shining Future.

Maynard believed in the idea of history being real, and made connections for his students between the past and the present. He also had the ability to imitate the voices of important figures of history, and included these adept impressions in his lectures, delighting his students and keeping them attuned to his lesson. He had a passion for teaching and loved his work at CSUB.

Proud of his service during the Vietnam War, John explained to those that asked, about his time in Germany serving in the Intelligence branch. If one were to pass by his office at the university, and peer inside, often would sit a veteran sharing a scrapbook and story of his/her military experiences with him.

One of John's favorite hobbies was photography. He enjoyed photographing people and traveling to places to capture nature's wonders. However, some of his best snapshots consisted of the historic city of New Orleans and jazz bands. When he did not have a camera around his neck, John was at the gym-pumping iron. He worked out regularly and seldom missed a week of exercise.

Maynard coached students in the We the People program at Arvin High School, and often spoke of them and their achievements-he was very proud of his students at Arvin High. He also volunteered at the Kern County Museum and shared stories of Bakersfield's history with interested groups.

John will be remembered as a valued educator and a friend to many. He is survived by his sister, Marguerite Maynard-Holz and wife, Lori Maynard.

A service will be held, celebrating his life, at Bakersfield National Cemetery on Friday, March 25 at 1:15 p.m.

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Published by Bakersfield Californian from Feb. 26 to Feb. 27, 2022.

Memories and Condolences
for John Maynard

5 Entries

Woody Mather

March 18, 2025

Didn´t realize that he died. John and I shared an office at USC. GOOD GUY.

Guy Jensen

February 28, 2023

I wish to honor John again, one year from his passing. I pay tribute to his life, to h onor his family, who were so important to him. I send best thoughts, and wishes to his wife, Lori, in particular. I am sorry I have not had the priviliege of meeting you, and extend my special regards today to you. May you find some comfort and grace in knowing how much his life touched so many other lives, like mine. I truly miss him still. I thank you so much for all your labors of love which you provided for him, especially health progressively declined over the years after his retirement. I worked in elder care for a number of years, as well as assisting in the care of my mother, father and stepfather. It is wonderful to be able to express my gratitude for all that you did for my good friend. Thank you so much.

Guy Jensen

March 25, 2022

I met John in his undergraduate years at UCSC. He became my roomate our first year there. We managed to correspond by letter and phone calls over the years, infrequently but enough to know about his active pursuits up until probably six to seven years ago. I always looked forward to hearing from him, or about him, through other mutual friends. I admired and respected him greatly! He was a man of intense passion and drive. He refused to be complacent in any realm of life. He did, as reflected by the comments in his obit and the reflections of others who knew him, seek to live his life honestly, forthrightly, and with clarity. He believed in the value of the ordinary, common man or woman, and left no room for people who cared only about theirprivilieged position, and how they appeared to others. His appreciation for the sacrifice that enlisted men and women in the armed forces made for our nation was incredibly strong.
He loved and cared for his parents and sister with devotion, to the best of my knowledge. His love and passion for great writers like Nikos Kazantskis, Dylan Thomas, James Jones were evident, as he would read passages from them to me at the end of the day at school. I marveled at the power of their words and thoughts, feeling that power come forth through John's voice and intonation. I still marvel at the impact those experiences had, and still have for me. It has been difficult for me to share these thoughts, as I realize he is not here to hear them, and receive my gratitude for his presence in my life. I have memories of spending a week-end in Bakersfield, hitchhiking from the campus to town to see
Zorba the Greek, and just walking around at nighy talking anf sharing our thoughts, hopes and questions about Life. I am so grateful and, humbly so ,to have known this wonderful and passionate man!! I am happy I can.

Blanca Cavazos

March 5, 2022

Dr. Maynard was so committed to seeing the success of the Arvin High students in the We The People competition. He gave countless hours of his time because he truly believed in our students' ability to think critically and to articulate their opinions and rationale. It was both an honor and a privilege to know such a genuine individual with a caring heart and a giving soul. Dr. Maynard will be missed by all whom he impacted with his generosity of spirit. My sincerest condolences to his loved ones. Thank you for sharing him with us.