Longtime San Benito High School Superintendent Gregory Hearn, 81, passed away peacefully last week following a five-month battle with cancer.
Hearn was the district’s superintendent for about 17 years from 1979 to 1996 and “certainly was extremely instrumental in the high school,” said Trustee Evelyn Muro. He had been living in Roseville at the time of his death.
His legacy included a district intern program, which brought subject-area experts with no teaching experience to the school where they earned teaching credentials at a time when teachers—especially ones with a strong mastery of math and science—were hard to find, Muro said. Hearn standardized curriculum and grading for students, the trustee said, and he was big on equality. He also focused on making decisions based on student performance.
“His big thing was whether you were in English 9 with teacher A or English 9 with teacher B, you got the same curriculum,” she said. “I know that that sounds really logical, but at the time it wasn’t.”
Among his lasting contributions to the school were with the planning and construction of classrooms and athletic facilities from 1986 until he retired in 1996 without ever floating a bond, according to his obituary provided by Muro.
He attended Stanford University for advanced studies in school administration.
Hearn is survived by his wife of 32 years, Oralia “Lali” Morales Hearn; his three children; a brother; and a sister. A memorial service will be held at the Stanford University Faculty Club at 2 p.m. Aug. 16. In lieu of flowers, the family is asking that friends contribute to “The Gregory A. Hearn Memorial Scholarship Fund,” which will support Baler graduates pursuing college.
