Back when John Stevens and his newlywed wife Hazel came to Prince George to teach in a two-room schoolhouse at Reid Lake, there was no shortage of students.
The wood industry was thriving, the area population was about to boom, and
opportunities for teachers were abundant.
It was 1963 and Stevens was just beginning what turned out to be a 33-year career helping students succeed as a School District 57 educator.
Known for his positive outlook and sharp sense of humour, Stevens died on Nov. 11 after a brief battle with cancer. He was 71.
"John will be remembered for the
energy he brought to the job and his people skills were exemplary," said Hank Bugara, who shared district duties with Stevens when they were employed as assistant
superintendents.
"He was an action-oriented type of person and if there was a task to be done he didn't waste any time getting at it. His relationship with people were always upbeat. We had a lot of fun at work."
Born in Nottingham, England, he moved to Canada at age 11 to St. Catharines, Ont., where his love for hockey grew.
As a Prince George Cougars season-ticket holder since the team arrived from Victoria in 1994, Stevens and Bugara sat side-by-side at the games right up until the time of Stevens' illness.
Stevens enrolled in Hamilton Teachers College and taught for two years in Ontario before he came west in 1962 to take on a position in Merritt, where he and Hazel met.
After three years at the Reid Lake school, Stevens took two years off to complete his bachelors degree at the University of Victoria, later earning his masters degree in education. He was a principal-trainee at Quinson elementary, then served as a principal at the Fraser View and Blackburn elementary schools.
In 1971 he opened College Heights elementary school as its first principal. In 1981 he took on a role with the district as a personnel co-ordinator, then moved up to assistant superintendent, a position he held until he retired in 1996.
"John was an assistant superintendent in the building years of the district through the 70s and late-80s when schools were full and the projects were booming and he was a great educational leader," said District 57 secretary treasurer Bryan Mix.
"Our district is known for inclusion and his specialty was special education. We were one of the first districts to have the inclusion principle for special-ed kids and John
spearheaded that."
At that time there were 22,000 students and 40 portable classrooms in the district.
The current student population is now about 13,400.
District 57 superintendent Brian Pepper said Stevens always looked on the bright side of life and used his sense of humour to bring levity to the workplace. Pepper read a submission that was presented at Tuesday's school board meeting.
"These aren't my words but it sums him up," said Pepper.
"He was unfailingly kind and he always had the ability to make everybody feel as though they and their problems were as
important to him as they were to them."
Stevens remained active with the retired teachers Heritage Committee and as a director with the Prince George Community Foundation.
He and Bev Christensen established the Springboard to Success scholarship fund for Prince George secondary school students.
Stevens is survived by his wife Hazel, sons Tom and Chuck and daughter Laurie, and three grandchildren.
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