Induction Yr Sport Sport

2019 Athletic Advocate 1968-1996

Former Southwestern dean of students, instructor and counselor John Hunter was inducted into the Northwest Athletic Association’s Wall of Honor in 1989. From his home town of Caldwell, Idaho Hunter made his way to Oregon earning his college degree in General Science Education at Oregon State University before going on his mission in the Norwegian Mission. Upon returning from Norway he married his wife of 45 years, Deanna. He taught junior high school science, was the 8th grade football coach, and an assistant high school track coach. John and his wife spent 36 years in the local community raising their family in North Bend. He studied and taught in the Counseling Psychology department at the University of Oregon, after which he began a 30-year career as an instructor of psychology, administrator, and counselor at Southwestern Oregon Community College. He was a strong advocate of athletics and the structure, discipline and development it brought to young adults’ lives.

Hunter considered it a privilege to mentor and support young adults as they established their life direction. His service in the community also did not go unnoticed. He served for more than 30 years on the Board of Directors for the Southwestern Oregon Community Action Committee. He was dedicated to discovering factors that contributed to poverty, and with the board, helped establish several innovative programs to help address those issues in the local community. However, John's greatest joy was his family, which now consists of his wife Deanna, along with John and Terri Lynn Hunter, Kim and Dennis Nelson, Brad and Jennifer Hunter, Lynn and James Jutila, Chris Hunter, Ruth and Jason Vollmer, Mary Dickey, Scott and Julie Hunter, and 30 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. While he passed in 2010, Hunter’s dedication to helping people and strengthening the communities he lived is something that is carried on by his family.