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Poly Remembers Former School Board Member and School Headmaster Alexander ‘Mike’ Babcock

Published on Tuesday, October 25, 2022 | 6:41 pm
 

Former Pasadena Unified School District Board Trustee and Pasadena Poly Headmaster, Alexander Mike Babcock died on October 18.

Babcock was surrounded by his four children.

“It is with much sadness to share that Alexander “Mike” Babcock ’48, peacefully passed away this week,” said John Bracker, Poly’s head of school, in a prepared statement.  “Mike’s legacy at Poly began in the 1960s as a math teacher in the Upper School before becoming the Upper School director for 15 years, then serving as headmaster from 1980-1998.”

Babcock once said of the school: “It is clear to me, as I’m sure it is to many of you, that Polytechnic School has a soul. It started in 1907 and through the years the school has brought people in and put them in touch with that soul, and they not only become better people for it, they in time turn around and give something which makes the soul grow bigger and stronger.”

After he retired from Poly in 1998, Babcock served on the Pasadena Unified School Board from 1991 to 2009 when he did not seek re-election.

Babcock was an active supporter of independent, public and charter schools, and community organizations who devoted his life to education. 

“Mike’s warm and approachable manner and commitment to the community led Poly through years of tremendous change and growth,” Bracker said.

“It is fitting that Babcock Field, named in honor of Mike at his retirement, is where we gather as a community to celebrate traditions, old and new, cheer our teams and our graduates, and reflect on where we have been and where we are going. Mike loved the generosity and spirit of Poly, and we owe him a debt of gratitude for sharing so much of the joy and compassion he brought to life with us,” Bracker’s statement reads.

“To many, he represented the school’s best and most enduring qualities and was a testament to all that Poly aspires to be as a learning institution. With his trusty bicycle transporting him around campus, Mike led with vision, empathy, and a great sense of humor.”

Babcock also Founded Partnership for Success with former Middle School Director Carmie Rodríguez and established the outdoor education program as integral to the Poly experience are two examples of his tremendous legacy.

In a statement, Babcock’s family said that the school was an integral part of Babcock’s life from the time he was a student until his retirement in 1998.

“We hope your memories of him are as special to you as ours are to us,” the family said in a statement to the school community. “We look forward to gathering in the near future to celebrate the extraordinary life of our dad.”

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