Later Life and Death
During the mid-1990s, Escalante became a strong supporter of "English-only" education efforts. In 1997, he joined the "English for Children" initiative, which was a controversial campaign against bilingual education in California schools.
In 2001, after many years of preparing teenagers for the A.P. calculus exam, Escalante returned to his native Bolivia. He lived in his wife's hometown, Cochabamba, and taught part-time at the local university. He returned to the United States frequently to visit his children.
As of March 2010, he faced financial difficulties from the cost of his cancer treatment. Cast members from Stand and Deliver, including Edward James Olmos, and some of Escalante's former pupils, raised funds to help pay for his medical bills.
Jaime Escalante moved to Sacramento, California, to live with his son in the city of Rancho Cordova. He taught at Hiram Johnson High School, a school very similar to Garfield High School. He died on March 30, 2010, aged 79, at his son's home while undergoing treatment for bladder cancer. He is survived by his wife Fabiola and his sons Fernando and Jaime Jr.
On Thursday April 1, 2010 a memorial service honoring Escalante was held at the Garfield High School where he taught from 1974 to 1991. Students observed a moment of silence on the front steps of the East L.A. campus.
Another tribute to Escalante occurred in Portland, OR, as an unnamed artist renamed a street "N Jaime Escalante Ave" in tribute.
A wake was held on April 17, 2010 in the lecture hall at Garfield High School where he taught calculus.
On Saturday, May 22, 2010, the California State University, Los Angeles chapter of Golden Key International Honour Society (GKIHS) honored Jaime Escalante by awarding him honorary membership at the New Member Recognition Ceremony. The award was accepted on behalf of the Escalante family by actor Vanessa Marquez, who appeared in the film Stand and Deliver, and LAUSD educator Elsa Bolado, who was a member of that first calculus class.
Escalante is buried at Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier in an unmarked grave.
Read more about this topic: Jaime Escalante
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