Remembering John Manley

By Cole Manley

John Manley passed away peacefully September 5, 2020, surrounded by his family. He was 81 years old. He was to his wife, Kathy Sharp, his three children, John, Laura, and Cole, and his West and East Coast family and friends, a loving and caring man with a dry wit and a passionate sense of justice and fairness. He was equally at home debating Marxist pedagogy as he was watching Yankees games with Kathy and Cole, where he would savor his chocolate ice cream (always chocolate).

In his three decades as a professor of political science at Stanford University, John Manley was a brilliant and generous teacher and scholar who taught thousands of students, many of whom went on to careers in public service, law, and politics. He remained incredibly proud of his friendships with former students, who remembered his courses on American government, class politics, and Marxism as some of their most important experiences at Stanford. He was, throughout these years, a principled critic of the University’s ties to the Hoover Institution and to Webb Ranch. He would often quote Karl Marx and say, with a knowing gleam in his eyes, “The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways. The point, however, is to change it.” John Manley changed the world, for the better, in so many ways.

Beyond his teaching, he was a lover of many places, many people, and many things. John Manley loved his family and friends dearly. He loved sending them birthday cards, loved taking them to dinner at Cafe Pro Bono in Palo Alto--where he would always order the Susan’s Downfall ravioli--, and loved meeting them for impromptu family reunions at San Gregorio General Store, where he would see his longtime family friends, George and Joey.

He loved traveling. He often mused about buying an apartment in North Beach, San Francisco, so he could be near one of his favorite bookstores, City Lights. In Paris, meanwhile, he wanted a pied-à-terre near Notre Dame and the Shakespeare & Co. bookstore. Paris was, after New York, his favorite city. He loved its architecture, its great river, and its many patisseries, where he enjoyed croissants and pain au chocolat.

Family vacations to Paris, Bologna, Italy, New York, Monterey, California, Hawaii, and many other cities and towns were some of his most cherished memories. Bologna occupied a special place in his heart, and in his stomach, for its radical history and its delicious pasta. Central Park in New York was one of his favorite places in the world, and it happened to be fairly close to his favorite train station, Grand Central Station.

He was, during retirement, an avid birder. He enjoyed glimpsing the Tufted Titmouses swoop to his feeder at our home in Westport, Connecticut.

He appreciated art in many forms. He was a voracious consumer of classic movies, and he especially enjoyed watching Paul Newman, Charlie Chaplin, and the Russian Revolution epic film, “Reds.” Music was also a source of much joy for my dad. On family road trips to see his mother and family in upstate New York, he would listen to The Eagles on repeat. John Lennon’s “Imagine” was one of my dad’s favorite songs, and he had a printout of its lyrics pasted next to his office for many years.

Writing was my father’s passion, and his impressive collection of books included American novelists (John Steinbeck, Jack London), his favorite poet (Langston Hughes), and many, many more. He was equally inspired by non-fiction as he was by Tolstoy.

In his later years, he took great comfort in his beloved golden retriever dog, Brady, who was always by his side.

We will miss John Manley greatly, more than words can express. Please keep him in your thoughts. At a later time, there will be arrangements for memorial services at Stanford.