BIOGRAPHIES - Class of 1945

John FERRARO

John FERRARO
BS Business 1948
Warfare Specialty Unknown
Commissioned Ensign USN 20 Feb 1945
Further Education Unknown
[Deceased] Spouse Margaret FERRARO
Homepage: Memorial

Biography:

Jakes made his letters in football, softball; favorite sport is football; future school, USC; will enter Business Administration; been at Bell four years; belongs to Rod and Reel Club.

Born May 14, 1924 in Cudahy, CA
Known to friends at Bell High as "Jakes".
A scholar-athlete who went to USC on a scholarship.
Named "Big John" at USC.
Named All-American in 1944 and 1947.
Played in three Rose Bowls.
Inducted into the College Hall of Fame.
Entered the Naval Reserve.
Served as a city councilman since 1966, District 4
President of LA City Council.

His last residence prior to his death was Los Angeles, CA 90004. This was noted Apr 17, 2001.

Obituary:

Ferraro, John (1924-2001) -- also known as "Big John" -- of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, Calif. Son-in-law of E. George Luckey. Born in Cudahy, Los Angeles County, Calif., May 14, 1924. Served in the U.S. Navy during World War II; candidate for mayor of Los Angeles, Calif., 1985. Italian ancestry. Football player for University of Southern California; played in three Rose Bowls; all-American in 1944 and 1947; named to the National Football Hall of Fame. He was the longest-serving city council member in Los Angeles history: 1966 to 2001. Died, of spleen cancer, in St. John's Health Center, Santa Monica, Los Angeles County, Calif., April 17, 2001. Burial location unknown.

John Ferraro - April 18, 2001, 01-79
John Ferraro was an All-American tackle when he played football at USC and since 1966 he was an All-American councilman for the City of Los Angeles.

Ferraro was a fixture on the city council representing the Fourth District, which cuts from Griffith Park to the Miracle Mile. While serving his ninth term as President of the L.A. City Council he passed away yesterday at 76.

KNX found Ferraro to be a visionary for regional issues facing Los Angeles. He served on the city council's Energy Committee and has kept essential public services affordable and accessible. Through his influence, Los Angeles hosted both the 1984 Summer Olympics and the 2000 Democratic Convention. His leadership was key to the development of the Staples Center and the refurbishment of the Los Angeles Zoo.

No one on the city council worked harder to develop and improve recreational areas throughout the City of Los Angeles. But his attention to ethics and responsive government will be his legacy. He was tough with his colleagues when he had to be and he built compromise when it was available. Those are the qualities of a brilliant statesman.

That's what John Ferraro was to this city. That's how he should be remembered.

John Ferraro was an All-American tackle for the Trojan football team in the 1940s. He graduated in 1948 with a bachelor’s degree in business.

USC Chronicle Issue Date: 4/23/2001

John Ferraro, USC Gridiron Great, PPD Supporter, 76

John Ferraro, a veteran Los Angeles city councilman and an All-American Trojan football player, died of cancer Monday, April 16, at St. John’s Health Center in Santa Monica. He was 76.

Nicknamed “Big John” for his size and prowess on the USC gridiron, Ferraro served at the center of city government for 35 years, 18 of them as president of the often fractious council. He was appointed to the council in 1966 and was re-elected nine times from the 4th Council District, which stretches from the San Fernando Valley to Los Feliz and the mid-Wilshire area.

Ferraro and his wife established the Margaret and John Ferraro Endowment Fund in the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development. The fund was established to create an endowed chair in effective local government. A recipient has yet to be named. Margaret Ferraro died in 2000.

“As a member of our board of councilors, John Ferraro provided extraordinary insight into the governance of the city. He supported the school by helping students and faculty in their individual careers, in their studies and research, and in the example he set as a civic leader,” said Daniel A. Mazmanian, holder of the C. Irwin and Ione L. Piper Dean’s Chair in the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development.

Ferraro was widely credited with helping to bring Los Angeles the 1984 Olympics and the 2000 Democratic National Convention, and with engineering a peaceable removal of controversial police chief Daryl F. Gates a year after the police beating of Rodney King ignited racial tensions across the city. Associates described him as an “unsung hero,” a term used most recently by key players behind Staples Center, the downtown sports complex that opened in October 1999 – three years after Ferraro reportedly wooed back its frustrated developers.

“John Ferraro loved three things. First was [his wife] Margaret and then came the city and then USC football,” said Chief Legislative Analyst Ron Deaton in a Los Angeles Daily News obituary.

A native of the Los Angeles suburb of Cudahy, Ferraro grew up during the Great Depression and attended Bell High School, where his excellence on the football field led to a scholarship at USC. He was named All-American in 1944 and 1947 and played in three Rose Bowl games. Three decades later, the all-star tackle was inducted into the National Football Hall of Fame.

He enlisted in the Naval Reserve during World War II, serving on a tanker with USC alumnus Warren Christopher, who went on to become U.S. deputy secretary of state under President Jimmy Carter and secretary of state in the Clinton Administration. Christopher sparked Ferraro’s interest in politics during long early morning discussions.

After the war, Ferraro resumed his USC studies, earning his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the USC Marshall School of Business in 1948. He established a lucrative insurance business on Wilshire Blvd. and, through shrewd real estate and stock investments, became a millionaire.

He is survived by his son, Gianni Luckey. Funeral services are scheduled for Monday, April 23, at 10 a.m. at St. Brendan’s Catholic Church, 300 S. Van Ness Ave., in the Hancock Park district of L.A.

[Deceased] [Back to Class of 1945]

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