John W. McLure

MCLURE, THOMAS, PERKINS, DE TURRO, PARRAMORE

Posted By: Harvey W. Henry (email)
Date: 3/17/2009 at 10:22:25

John W. McLure
Born: November 09, 1934
Died: February 08, 2009
Services:Associate Professor Emeritus John W. McLure’s life will be celebrated at 2 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20, at the Unitarian Universalist Society, 10 South Gilbert Street in Iowa City with the Rev. Benjamin Maucere officiating.
Visitation:There will be no visitation.
Associate Professor Emeritus John W. McLure’s life will be celebrated at 2 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20, at the Unitarian Universalist Society, 10 South Gilbert Street in Iowa City with the Rev. Benjamin Maucere officiating. John died Feb 8 from multiple myeloma cancer, following four years of treatment. He was 74.

He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Gail Thomas McLure, Iowa City; two sons David (Karin), Shrewsbury, MA, and John R. (Kristine) of Iowa City; grandchildren Matthew, Amanda and John D. McLure; brother-in-law Randall Thomas (Murl and their adult son and daughter, Joel and Emily), Tulsa, OK; sister-in-law Corine Perkins (adult daughter Laura de Turro and her children Zach and Miranda), Madison, WI; nephew Phillip Thomas (Marianne and their children Jacob and Greta), Bergen, Norway; niece Sharon (Stephen) Parramore, Tuscaloosa, AL; and niece Celeste Thomas, Mason City, IA.

Before joining the UI College of Education faculty in 1969, John had taught in junior and senior high schools in Alabama and Illinois and had been a school counselor, an assistant principal, and while at Fort Riley, KS, an adult education teacher for Army personnel. At the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, he completed a master’s degree in history and a PhD in educational administration, curriculum and supervision.

Until he retired in 2005, John taught in the areas of teaching and learning, helping students to envision the interdisciplinary nature of learning and explore issues in their specialty areas. He published in journals for teachers of science, social studies, English, mathematics, home economics, physical education, counseling, equity, and more.

John made efforts to eliminate sex-role stereotyping in schools, curriculum materials, and national curriculum associations. He kept current on secondary school curriculum by visiting schools as part of North Central Accreditation teams. He worked with middle school science teachers to develop hands-on activities to peak students’ interests in science. He served nine years as senior executive editor of Science Activities, a Heldref publication.

John’s work also included developing democracy-building curricula for post-Soviet nations in Eastern Europe, surveying the junior high to middle school movement in the upper Midwest, and promoting educational gaming and simulation. His most popular game, Puzzle: A Simulation of a Biographer’s Tasks, helps students learn to do historical research.

With the late UI Associate Professor David Leslie, he developed an instruction booklet, Exercise for the Elderly, and two television series to bring exercise programs to older adults across Iowa and to help nurses and activity directors to initiate such programs. First published in 1975, the booklet is in its third edition. The cutting-edge program gave physical education a lifelong focus.

With some proficiency in five languages, John had a range of international interests; he chaired the UI International Education Committee; served as visiting professor for a 1985 Soviet Union summer travel seminar for American educators and for six summer sessions at the University of Yucatan, Mexico; traveled to Nigeria and other African countries to coordinate a program that brought small groups of ministry of education personnel to the UI for intensive training; was active with CIVIC, the Council for International Visitors to Iowa City; and kept his door open to students.

During his 35 years on the Iowa faculty John served on 135 PhD thesis committees, nearly 30 of which he chaired, and another 20 he co-chaired.

John was born on Nov. 9, 1934 in Citronelle, AL, attended elementary schools in that state and New York, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree with double majors in general science and English at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa in 1956. Upon completion of Reserved Officers Training Corps in college, he was cited as a Distinguished Military Graduate. To enable his wife to complete her senior year of college, he served for a year as a Reserved Commissioned Officer with grade of Second Lieutenant and taught high school near their campus home. The next year he entered active duty at Fort Benning, GA and later at Fort Riley, KS, where he was promoted to First Lieutenant before his honorable discharge in 1959.

His science interests ranged through archaeology, botany, biology, entomology, geology, mycology, ornithology and paleontology, with most of these reflected in his writings. He was active athletically in volley ball, jogging, swimming and Tai Chi. John was a published essayist and poet. His last essay, “The Hen of the Woods,” about a species of mushroom, was published last year in the “Wapsipinicon Almanac, Number 14” by the Route 3 Press.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to Iowa City Hospice or the Unitarian Universalist Society of Iowa City.