Senate Reference No. 05-6

Memorial Resolution

John Peter Manzer

1946 - 2005

John Peter Manzer was born July 14, 1946, in Chicago, and grew up on the south side of the Windy City, which was his favorite town and a favorite topic of conversation. During his early years, he helped his dad make candy and run a retail candy store. John was always interested in music and, when he was 12, he bought a guitar. He taught himself to play and, later in high school, he formed a band named the Cryan Shame. John’s musical idol was Bo Diddley. Over the year the band improved and began to get regular bookings in various Chicago venues, including bars. John was not old enough to legally go in the bars alone, so his dad would go along and sit in the bar with the band. John’s band had a song “Sugar and Spice” that made the top 40 charts. When John graduated from high school in 1964, he bought a new Chevrolet Impala with the money he had made in the band. A few years ago, Bo Diddley came to Pierre’s in Canterbury. John went to see him and, after 40 years, was able to talk with the idol. 

After high school John went to Northern Illinois University and majored in Business Education. While in college, John took a management internship position at Sears. His favorite story of the Sears experience was that he sold a tool set to a customer who paid with a credit card, but failed to sign the sales slip. John’s manager noticed the omission and told him that the amount of the sale would be taken from his salary. John looked in the Chicago phone book and found 10 people with the same name. He called all 10 and found the customer who came back to the store, signed for his tools, and expressed his delight in the purchase. John eventually decided that retail management was not for him and, when he graduated from Northern Illinois in 1968, he began teaching business and economics in a high school in Chicago. While teaching in the high school, John met his future wife Marilyn, who also taught there.

John loved high school teaching, but he had another burning career aspiration that he decided to follow. He joined the Chicago Police Department. He liked being a policeman, but his law enforcement career was ended when he attended a hand-to-hand combat class and the “biggest, fattest cop” in Chicago fell on him and broke his hip. So it was back to high school teaching.          

While teaching at the high school, John reenrolled at Northern Illinois and began taking classes at night. He earned a MS as a part-time student and, with the encouragement of his professors, he entered the PhD program. John married his long-time love Marilyn in 1978 and was awarded his PhD in 1979.   

After receiving his PhD, John went to Michigan State for two years and then moved to IPFW where he taught in the Department of Economics until his death. John had a strong belief in the importance of good teaching and a good education. He published an essay in the Wall Street Journal titled, “Why Johnny Can’t Read.”  In addition to teaching economics, John worked with our School of Education visiting and evaluating student teachers. John often spoke about how fulfilling he found working with these future teachers. 

The Manzers enjoyed traveling and usually had a summer vacation together. They recently spent part of their vacation in New York sleeping on the sidewalk in front of their hotel during the power black-out, and last summer, they toured Japan. The Manzers are not bowlers and have never been bowling in Fort Wayne, but several years ago they began a family tradition of bowling while on vacation. They have bowled in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Reno, Cancun; and, last summer they bowled in a small town in Japan north of Tokyo. According to John, all bowling alleys around the world are identical with the exception of the language and the smell of the food - the people and behaviors are constant.     

John had fond memories of his 1964 Impala and, a few years ago, decided that he needed another. Finding a 40-year-old car in great shape proved impossible, so he bought a new Corvette convertible, which was his “toy.” He was proud of that car and often took his friends riding, and was always glad to talk about his toy. Because of his bad hip and a foot problem, John had a handicap parking tag. Last summer he parked his Vette in a handicapped space behind Neff and was standing close by when one of our young and beautiful walked up and began admiring the car. John asked her if she liked the car. The student responded, “What a waste - such a nice car, but in a handicap space.” John laughed about this “bringing down” for months.

John developed an interest in physics and the universe. He studied Carl Sagan, Steve Hawking and Brian Greene. When his wife cleaned his office in Kettler, open on his desk, with profuse underlining and margin notes, were The Elegant Universe and A Brief History of Time. 

John is survived by his wife Marilyn who is a partner in the CPA firm of Baden, Gage, & Schroeder, and his son Peter, who is a junior, majoring in accounting at Indiana University.