Jeffrey P. Horton – 50th Reunion Essay

Jeffrey P. Horton

2619 Wilshire Blvd.

Apt 202

Los Angeles, CA 90057

jp1horton@me.com

323-806-5707

Spouse(s): Larry Pickens (1983, d. 2007)

Child(ren): Dante Pickens-Horton (1989); Lorenzo Pickens-Horton (1991)

Grandchild(ren): Anastasia Malaya Horton (2016); Dante Lee Horton Jr. (2018)

Education: Yale BA (1969); Pt. Loma Nazarene M.Ed.

Career: 42 years in public education; 22 years as a high school teacher; 8 years as elected member Los Angeles Board of Education; 2000: president Calif. School Boards Assn.; United Teachers LA-Board of Directors

Avocations: Music (opera, European classical music, jazz, Bob Dylan); reading (science fiction, poetry, history and politics); Dodger baseball

College: Ezra Stiles

In my 25th reunion essay I wrote, “My only regret is that I have no children of my own.” Within a year of writing that my husband, Larry, and I adopted Dante, a wonderful 6-year old boy, followed in a few years by Lorenzo. They are now in their late 20s, and Dante has contributed an adorable daughter and son to our family. So now I have no regrets!

I arrived at Yale in 1965 as a compulsively high-achieving public school graduate, a closeted gay boy, and a rigid Goldwater/Randian conservative from Orange County California. In four years, those contradictions were exposed, and I left in 1969 as an actively gay, moderately ambitious, politically amorphous young man.

After an idyllic three years spent in love in Florence, I returned to Los Angeles and in 1975 got a job teaching at Crenshaw HS in South Los Angeles. At the same time, I had a black boyfriend, and this marked the beginning of a lifetime connection with the African-American community and culture, something I had been completely ignorant of after my all white upbringing. I believe that being gay helped me identify with the African-American experience, different as it was, and that in turn helped me understand and accept being gay.

Teaching at Crenshaw triggered a renewed interest in politics. Whereas in high school I had been a conservative Republican (like my whole family), I now got involved in the school integration issue and in the teacher union as a strong progressive. This connection to the black community and progressive left-wing politics, together with being gay, has defined my life.

In 1983 I met the love of my life, Larry Pickens. We bought a house in Echo Park and eventually adopted those two wonderful boys. Larry had a big family in LA which embraced us, and this deepened my connection with the black community. I continued my political involvement and in 1991 I won a seat on the Los Angeles Board of Education which I held for eight years. My political life as a progressive, openly gay elected official was exciting and exhausting, but it fulfilled a deep need to try to change the world.

My life was shaken up when Larry died suddenly in 2007. I have yet to enter into another relationship.

I returned to the classroom in 2010 to teach AP World History at a wonderful integrated magnet school. (Now I had to learn about the rest of the world!) I retired with great fanfare last year, sold my house in Echo Park, moved to a stately old apartment building on Wilshire Blvd. in Koreatown, and began to define this last phase of my life.

I have always been a passionate opera queen with no interest in sports, but to celebrate my retirement I have added jazz and baseball to my interests. I am also devoting a couple of days a week to my grandchildren. I plan to revive my political activity in criminal justice reform.

I am satisfied with the life I have led. My time at Yale stripped away childhood illusions. I have been open about who I am and what I believe. I have tried to share my strengths and privileges with others. I have explored many of the paths that have presented themselves to me along the way and thereby broadened and deepened my understanding of the world. I really don’t have
any regrets.