John A. Cochran |
| Posted 2008-09-05 by Pat Wilson |
| John A. Cochran, 80, of Tempe Arizona, passed away at his home of a heart attack on Dec. 7, 2001. Dr. Cochran is survived by his wife, Mary L. Cochran daughters Jackie Cochran, of Phoenix, Dr. Cindy JOHNSTON, of Tucson, and Cathy BERG, of Tempe; brother Richard Cochran, of Vallejo, California; grandchildren Lauren and Stephen Johnston, both of Tucson, and Jason and Michael Berg, both of Tempe. His parents, Art Cochran and Lena McGOWAN, preceded him in death. Dr. Cochran was born on Sept. 25, 1921 in Des Moines, Iowa. He married Mary LEFLLER of Kansas City, Missouri, on July 10, 1943. He graduated from Drake University in Des Moines in 1943 with a B.A. in economics. After teaching only six months in Iowa, he served in the U. S. Army during World War II from 1943-45 in Europe, working primarily in Military Government. He later served as a first lieutenant, this time in Special Intelligence, during the Korean War. After the war Dr. Cochran attended Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, earning a M.A. in economics in 1947 and a doctorate in economics in 1949. His academic teaching career began at Harvard, and took him to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Illinois, Southern Illinois University and finally to Arizona State University as a professor of economics. During his tenure at Arizona State (1962-89), he served as chairman of the Economics Department, as well as ASU Faculty Chairman. In his stint as faculty chairman he helped see the school through the turbulent time of the Vietnam War , the controversial firing of professor Morris Starsky and the resulting issues of academic freedom. He retired from ASU in 1989 and was a professor emeritus from 1989 until his death. Prior to arriving at ASU, Dr. Cochran worked for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York as an economist and he wrote numerous articles in the field. He was the author of 'Money, Banking and the Economy,' a textbook used on many college campuses. He was appointed in 1984 by Arizona Gov. Bruce BABBITT to the fund manager's board of the Public Safety Retirement System of Arizona and served under numerous reappointments there for 15 years, 14 years as its chairman. He retired from the fund in 1999. Dr. Cochran's lifelong love of art led him to become a docent at the Phoenix Art Museum in 1989 and he continued that avocation until his death. He was an active member of the University Presbyterian Church in Tempe, serving as an elder for many years. In his later years, he was active with the men' s group at Mission del Sol Presbyterian Church in Tempe. Dr. Cochran was president of the Phi Beta Kappa chapter at Arizona State during its formative years there. He also served as president of the Phi Kappa Phi chapter at ASU. He was listed in Who's Who in America. Burial will be Dec. 11 at Mount Mariah Cemetery in Kansas City, Missouri. A memorial service was held at Mission del Sol Presbyterian Church, 1565 E. Warner Road, Tempe. The family requests that contributions (in lieu of flowers) can be made to the John A. Cochran Memorial Fund at the Mission del Sol Presbyterian Church, 1565 E. Warner Road, Tempe, AZ, 85284. The Arizona Republic, December 11, 2001. See Also: ASU Memoriams |
Note: These obituaries are transcribed as published and are submitted by volunteers who have no connection to the families. They do not write the obituaries and have no further information other than what is posted within the obituaries. We do not do personal research. For this you would have to find a volunteer who does this or hire a professional researcher.
Questions About This Project?