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September 02. 2015 2:00AM Austen Bennett Meek Austen Bennett Meek February 6, 1932 - August 28, 2015 Austen Bennett Meek was born Feb. 6, 1932 in San Francisco. He died Aug. 28, 2015 in Medford, Ore. Austen grew up in the Burlingame and Los Gatos, Calif. area. As a boy he loved to hike in the Santa Cruz mountains and picked fruit in the Santa Clara Valley. His sense of adventure spurred him to drop out of high school to sail around the world. When he arrived at the ship, there had been a fire. He then joined the U.S. Air Force, serving during the Korean Conflict. He married Lucille and had three daughters, Chrisanna, Elicia, and Brenna. After taking correspondence courses while in the Air Force, he was able to enter San Jose State Univ. where he earned a degree in mathematics and a teaching credential. He worked as a nuclear engineer for GE before beginning his teaching career. He moved to Westwood, Calif. where he taught high school math for three years. He received a full scholarship from the National Science Foundation to earn his Masters at Bowdin College in Maine. He returned to California and taught two years at East Palo Alto High School before being hired by the San Mateo Comm. College District. He also taught at College of San Mateo before transferring to Canada College in Redwood City. He married Susan in 1987 and they retired to Ashland, Ore. in 1994. He enjoyed hiking, biking, skiing, Mozart and Chopin, opera, ballet, poetry, and great literature. He was a great teacher with a wonderful sense of humor and loved to pun. He was intelligent, sensitive, and kind. He sought justice for those in need and accepted humanity, his and others. He will be sorely missed. He is survived by his adoring wife, Susan; daughters, Chrisanna Rose, Elicia Standlee (Bill), and Brenna Locke (Ed); sister, Norma McLean; stepson, Andrew Nolan (Robin); seven grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. A celebration of Austen's life will be held at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, September 5, 2015 at the Unitarian Center in Ashland . http://www.dailytidings.com/article/20150902/OBITUARIES/150909969 © 2015 Copyright © 1995-2011 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Statement -->