Dr. Jan Yocum Duke (65), a native of Madera, CA former resident of Fresno, CA and a resident of Paso Robles, CA for 7 years, passed away Tuesday, December 25, 2012 at a Fresno Hospital.
Jan graduated from Madera High School. She was a retired teacher and school administrator for 36 years. She was a teacher with Madera Unified School District and a consultant for the Bureau of Education and Research.
She earned a bachelors in speech arts in 1968 and an elementary teaching credential in 1969 at then-Fresno State College, where she was named Homecoming Queen in 1967. She received her Doctorate from Brigham Young University.
In 1998 she received the Fresno State Alumni Award of Excellence for the School of Education and Human Development. She was awarded the nationally prestigious Miliken Educator Award and was named California Teacher of the Year in 1998.
At the time of the award, Dr. Duke taught fourth-grade at John Adams Elementary School in Madera, where she was a passionate advocate for literacy. A nationally recognized innovator, expert trainer and consultant in the fields of language arts and instructional methods, she has published several books on literacy.
Jan taught in the classroom for 30+ years before becoming a school administrator. After retiring as a curriculum specialist and learning director in the Hanford Elementary School District, Dr. Duke moved to Paso Robles where she consulted with Springboard Schools.
Jan was preceded in death by her father, Ike Yocum of Madera.
She is survived by her husband of 34 years, Gary Duke of Paso Robles, CA. Mother, Maxine Yocum of Madera, CA and sister, Terri De La Guerra and her husband Mike of Madera, CA.
Private services were held under the direction of Jay Chapel.
