John E. Horton

John Edwin Horton, a retired Professor of Sociology at UCLA and a longtime resident of the Beverly Glen area of Los Angeles, passed away peacefully on January 4 at the age of 85. John was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He received his B.A. from the University of Wisconsin in 1954, after which he was a Fulbright Scholar in Bruges, Belgium. John then received his Ph.D. in Sociology from Cornell University.

From 1960 until his retirement in 1993, John had a long career teaching at UCLA, where he was known for creating undergraduate and graduate courses in Marxist Sociology. John, a dedicated graduate student advisor, mentored and inspired many students, who were captivated by his brilliance, compassion and dedication to social justice. His impact as a mentor was evidenced by the 150 people at his retirement party and the many students who remained close with him for years after the completion of their studies. He wrote numerous significant articles and books, including "The Politics of Diversity: Immigration, Resistance and Change in Monterey Park, California" (Temple University Press, 1995) and an influential ethnographic article, "Time and Cool People," for Trans-action Magazine, about how "street life doesn't run by the clock [but] what counts is what's happening." Among numerous honors, John received the Robert Park Award from the American Sociological Association in 1996.

John was an avid world traveler, a connoisseur of food and wine, and a dedicated hiker, barely ever missing a day walking with his partner Pat in the hills of Los Angeles. John, the son of Merrill Edwin Horton and Elizabeth Bucket Horton, is survived by his partner of 54 years, Patrick J. McCloskey; his nieces K.T. and Elizabeth Rice and nephew Stephen Rice; numerous close friends and former students; and the caring staff at Carmel who took care of him for the last year of his life.

Eric Wang