In Loving Memory
Arthur Pearl
April 23, 1922 - July 5, 2018
Beloved father, grandfather, great grandfather and mentor to thousands and former Santa Cruz resident Dr. Arthur "Art" Pearl passed away at 96 on July 5, 2018. Art was born on April 23, 1922 in the Bronx, New York, but moved to San Francisco at the age of 3.
After serving in the Army at the end of WWII he returned to San Francisco . While completing his education he was a dock worker and labor organizer. He received his Phd from U.C. Berkeley in Psychology.
After teaching at New York University and Howard University he settled in Oregon at the University of Oregon in Eugene.
He was the Dean of Education and started the New Careers for the Poor Program at University of Oregon. He ran for Governor of Oregon in 1970
He had a successful political radio program called "Art Pearl Against the World" which he revived in 2016 as a blog.
In 1972 he moved to Santa Cruz to teach Education at University of California at Santa Cruz. He was an active member of the community and the home he shared with his wife, Mary Pearl, was the center of many political and social justice movements. He served as the President of the School Board for three terms and lead numerous political campaigns.
In addition to his illustrious career as a professor he also authored many books including Landslide, The How and Why of Nixon's Victory, The Atrocity of Education and co-authored the Democratic Classroom. He also has taught in California prisons and created the Board of Education for the Department of Corrections in California. He was the Director of New York State's Division for Youth under Nelson Rockefeller. He was a principal speaker at the only White House Conference on Teaching the Disadvantaged. He was also a member and chair of the National Institute for Teaching of the Disadvantaged. He has been given a Martin Luther King, Jr. Lifetime Award And an award from the University of Oregon for his work in advancing social justice.
In 2001 he retired from U.C.S.C. and moved to Vancouver, Washington. He taught at WSU Vancouver for several years until returning to University of Oregon. He taught at University of Oregon until he was 94 years old.
His life impacted thousands of others. He dedicated himself to solving the problems that plagued our world and creating a legacy that will carry on the solutions he developed. He truly lived life to the fullest and was actively involved in supporting those around him until his last breath.
He is survived by his sister, Evie, his sons, Delevan and Daniel and daughters, Esther and Rachel, his grandchildren, Katya, Leah, Kaiya, Mila, Izzy, Lotus and Lucian and great granddaughters Scarlet, Stella, Roma and Sela and a legacy of fighting for our democracy. He is preceded in death by his wife, Mary Francis Pearl and his son, Henry "Hank" Pearl.
Please go to http://www.anewtradition.com/obituaries/obituary/16171_Arthur_Pearl for information on memorial services.
View the online memorial for Arthur Pearl
Published in Santa Cruz Sentinel on July 22, 2018
