Earlier this week, I was deeply saddened by the news of the passing of my friend and mentor Johanna Haver.
Professionally, Johanna’s main contribution was in the field of education. She served as a member of the Maricopa County Community College Governing Board. She published several books on education. She also published several articles on education for the AZ Daily Independent and other news outlets.
Her specialty was in teaching English to English learners, that is to individuals whose native language was not English and as a result came to her with very little or no knowledge of English. She did this very successfully in Germany and Japan.
She was a great source of information to those of us who commented on official policies and made recommendations in the field of education.
But she was a lot more than a provider of expertise. She was always not only willing but indeed eager to assist. Her cheerful, upbeat attitude, even in the face of severe medical issues, was an inspiration to all who knew her.
With her passing, Arizona has lost a great citizen and a significant asset. She will be missed.