Best teacher ever!  Who could forget how he taught us about how the US entered WW2 and the attack on Pearl Harbor. (Or the famous ‘pie attack’) I signed up for every class he taught until DeAnza College sent me a letter saying that I had more than satisfied the California educational requirements for that category and to knock it off!

My favorite story is when I convinced my buddy Dave, visiting from Rhode Island, to attend Ken’s class with me. We’d been learning about the Revolutionary War and had just gotten to the signing of the Declaration of Independence at the end of the previous class. When we arrived, I went to the front of the auditorium to let Ken know about my visiting friend and to feel free to “include him in our discussions.’ He chuckled, said he knew just what to do and began the class.  

He begins with a recap of the previous class and how the states had all gathered for the signing. He’s slowly making his way up the forum steps toward us, perfectly timing the arrival to our seats as he calls out Rhode Island as the state refusing to sign, thus keeping the US from moving toward independence. He then says loudly 

“...and if you ever want to know what one of those dirty ‘hold-outs’ look like…”  he grabs Dave by the lapels of his leather jacket, practically pulling him from his seat and yells “Here’s one of those bastards, right here!” 

Dave is visibly shaken. I’m laughing. Mr. Bruce looks down at him and says “you know your buddy set you up for that.”

Years later, my wife decided to finish her degree and enrolled at DeAnza.  She had Ken’s class and I HAD to go with her one night.  When we arrived, my wife and I met with him for a few minutes and I asked if he remembered the ‘Rhode Island' incident. He didn’t and jokingly said something about me making up the story to which I replied “Just because you lie about history, doesn’t mean the rest of us do.” I still hear his belly laugh.

This man was a true gem.  I can honestly say he was the only college lecturer I had where I truly looked forward to what was next.  Not to mention he was always extremely helpful outside of class if you had any questions.  RIP Mr. Bruce

I'm very sorry for loss. I just looked Dr Bruce up to see how he was doing.   And i was sorry to see this. Hope boss family is well

Antimony, bloop
At any rate
He smelled pretty, like a flower

OK so it's not quite Haiku,
but IYKYK

Mr. Bruce was my history teacher in the late 80's. Everyone told me to take Mr. Bruce and so I did. I enjoyed all his lectures and listening to his tapes in my car.  I used to hate history until I took his class. He made it come alive and he was ever so kind. I graduated from De Anza believing history was in fact interesting, but you had to have the right teacher.  History was like box full of puzzle pieces given to me throughout my school years, but never really formed a cohesive story nor picture until I took Mr. Bruce's class. 

Fast forward eighteen years and a move to Virginia, where our country's history began. I found myself homeschooling my children. Everything that Mr. Bruce taught me came alive and the picture of this great nation finally emerged. I would frequently hear Mr. Bruce's voice as we visited Colonial Williamsburg, Yorktown, George Washington's Mount Vernon home, and Appomattox Court House. My love for history has grown tremendously  and continues to do so as does my love of this country and appreciation for the sacrifices made to form this great nation.  I owe my change in attitude towards history (of any sort) to the wonderful Mr. Bruce. He did not miss his calling and used his gifting well.  He  changed the life of this student which influenced  the life of my three children. 
Rest in peace, Mr. Bruce and may God richly bless your family.

With everything going on in the world it made Mr think of my favorite history teacher. I am sad to have heard of his passing but glad to see he got to live to a good age. 
I'll never forget sitting I his classes in tnr 90s a d telling  everyone that needed that history credit to take his class. I could listen to him lecture for hours. 
I was 18 when intoo that  class and here I am 54 years old and he still. My thoughts. 
Rest well. Teacher you did good.

We will always remember the history classes at the Sunnyvale Senior  Center which we attended for a number of years.  The American Heritage tours he guided were fabulous.  He was a wonderful historian making the talks come to life.  Since we left Sunnyvale in 2016 we lost track of him.  We'll all miss him.  Love to Carol and all the family.

Evelyn and Galen White

Oh, Bruce...I've been looking for you online for years and just this morning saw your obit. I remember when I first saw you summer of 1985  at DAC in the daily 6 hr class and thought...Wow. You've had quite the life so no sadness. I miss our lunches, laughs, and stories. Enjoy your trip thru the highlands...I'll probably be there soon. I know I'll hear....Oh, Hanley! when I dicker for a few extra points. Cheers my friend, Sabrina

Here was a man who found his calling. When I was there, De Anza college was chock-full of great teachers, the likes of Bean, Hanley and Wrenn. The greatest teachers go beyond being informative and fair. They’re inspirational, funny and kind too. They find ways to turn glowing embers into flames. Their students think and talk about them the rest of their lives. That was Ken Bruce. He was simply as good as it gets. My condolences to his family and thousands of others, who will forever miss him. He was, without a doubt, one of the best of us. May he rest in peace.

So here I sit on a shady bench at the Main Quad of De Anza College 50 years after being a student.  (50!!). Thoughts of that most wonderful professor Ken Bruce are with me. He was the best!  Hilarious, thought-provoking, kind. Always made every class memorable. Sometime in 1974, when a gentleman-streaker ran in the classroom behind him as he was lecturing, the classroom shrieked and burst into laughter as Mr. Bruce asked,  “Any of you girls recognize him?!!!!!”    🤣. He was the best!!❤️

Mr. Bruce was one of my favorite history teachers when I was at DeAnza College. He made history come alive through his lectures. Mr. Bruce always challenged you (as a student) think about the mistakes that others have made so we don't repeat them. 
Mr. Bruce always had time for his students.  Mr. Bruce will be missed!

I was privileged to be a student of  Kenneth Bruce both in 1968, and then a decade+ years later when I went back to DeAnza for the sheer joy of taking a class from him again.  Never, has any other history teacher brought so much to give to so many, selflessly.  
What an absolute treasure!

I've only just discovered the passing of Mr Bruce. I was fortunate to take a class of his at De Anza. To this day, every time I think of Martin Van Buren, it's followed up in my head with "smelled pretty like a honeysuckle". Even in my youthful ignorance, I knew he was a man doing what he was meant to be doing. The best teacher I have ever had. He gets a REAL A from me.

Mr. Bruce gave me an insight and perspective about history that I'm sure never would have happened if I had not taken his U.S. History class while at Los Altos High. I was also privileged to go on the '68 Brigade during the aftermath of the ML King assassination
with National Guard in the streets and 4:pm curfew while in D.C.  It was a truly historical time to be there.  Mr. Bruce's instruction and enthusiasm has carried forward with me and had a definite influence in the genealogy work that I have done over the last 25 years. Thank you Mr. Bruce -- you were the best! 

Rest in peace Mr Bruce, you were always my hero.   


Armand
DeAnza Class of 78

What a beautiful celebration of life for a wonderful man loved by so many. I had the privilege of being in his classes at the Sunnyvale Senior Center for the History of California, The First Ladies, The Presidents and US History. Always a room full of laughter and awesome moments of learning so many new things enhanced with his great sense of humour and drama.  One time with his booming voice he would reinact a character cursing only to be told by the Senior Center mgt he needed to attend sensitivity training! I bought all his videos and lectures and when I picked them up he only charged my 50% of his cost. What a special gem, I will see you on the other side, where I am sure we will have many more joyful times for an eternity! Much Love, Kathy Waddell

I was lucky to have known Mr. Bruce. My wife and I thought of him often  I was gald I had a chance to email and text him over the past two years.  I had a question about these historical crazy times when I saw he had past a couple days before. I will  save my question and ask him latter on what he saw from above. Rest well, you are missed by many. 

My brother, Tom, and I were so lucky to have Mr. Bruce as a teacher at Los Altos High School in 1959 and 60.  We remember his vivid and energetic presence, his good command of the classroom, and, most of all, his indelible lessons.  What a wonderful teacher.  Big Booming voice, and so confident and funny and we knew he really loved to teach and loved each of us---the thick heads and the quick studies. We looked forward to class.  I am sad he is gone, and am so glad our memories of him are sharp and wonderful. Thank you so much, Mr. Bruce.  Well done!

Loved Mr Bruce!  Very favorite teacher at Los Altos High!  He was so funny & fun!  He acted out history & I remember loving his class!  Made history come alive!  Still remember some things he taught so many years ago!  May the Lord give family & friends comfort & peace at this difficult time!  ❤️ Marsha Bennett White

What a great teacher.  Any history teacher that highlights First Lady Lemonade Lucy Hayes in the lecture has to be the best.   Mr. Bruce was in his element as emcee at the conclusion of the bicentennial parade in 1976 talking History, to a huge crowd, on the football field at LAHS.   

Sorry to hear of his passing. “Mr. Bruce” was a mentor to me. First as my Little League coach, then the father of my good friend Scott and also as the greatest teacher/professor I ever had in life at De Anza.  My love of history started because of him. His constant positive attitude, his one liners about life (some  I cannot repeat here) , his team building skills and motivations have stuck with me through life. We have lost a good one but the memories he left are priceless. Rest in Peace, “Mr. Bruce”

I had Mr. Bruce as my US history teacher 1965/1966. I’m sure you are getting scads of emails like this!  He really was the best! I have memories of his classroom and even more memories of the trip I took with him and my classmates back east to the US history sites. He knew my name. He knew my face and personality and made fun comments calling positive attention to me. High school is a tough time and teachers that make you feel seen and valued as he did are gems. I have no idea what his personal life was like back then, because teenagers don’t think like that, but as a teacher, he lived a life of great worth and value, and I am just one of many who appreciated him not only for the subject matter he taught, but for how he made me feel.  Sincerely, Julie Sant Schenk,  Class of 1967

I’m so sorry to hear about Kenneth’s passing. He lived a long and I’m sure a colorful life. He was my history teacher at De Anza. I’m sure he enriched the lives of thousands of students during his teaching years because he made history fun and interesting (because my life was). I had 3 history classes I took with him between 88-91. My heart goes out to his family during these times. I wish I could be there for his celebration of life, but I am unable to. Sending out condolences and love during this time. 

While I never got to have Ken as a teacher, I too, was on the final Bruce's Brigade in 1968. Inspired my love of travel. I remember not being able to do Pickett's Charge in Gettsyburg because the field was neck deep in corn. Just hearing 'Redoubt 9' perks up my ears and brings me back to that trip. Wandering the streets of New York City with a bunch of teenagers and talking to the cop on every street corner was an adventure for this innocent teenager. Highlight of my life.  My parents were so impressed that we did a family vacation the next year, revisiting many of the places I'd been. 
My brother Dave was good friends with Scott Bruce and Ken was also his Little League coach. He's seriously thinking about traveling  from out of state for the service. I hope they have a large chapel as I expect the service will be mobbed.
Thanks for the memories and RIP Mr. Bruce
Carol (Christofferson) McManus, LAHS '70

San Jose State, *pu pu*
Antimony, *plook*
At any rate, Uncle Kenny shaped me.
I am better because of him.

I've had many teachers in my life, but Mr. Bruce was one of the most memorable. I can see him now in my mind's eye (I graduated from Los Altos High School in 1966).  He had a curious way of littering the black board with a zillion factoids (for instance how the  Stegomyia colopus Aedes aegyti was the yellow-fever breeding mosquito in the Spanish American War) and somehow he breathed life into all of it--threw himself into it--making history not only alive, but funny and unpredictable, and very much in-the-moment. I have often thought of Mr. Bruce in my life, and smiled. He was an original. Thank you, my friend, for all you gave to so many! Bless you forever! 


Mr. Bruce was one of the great teachers and the most memorable of any teacher I had at LAHS (Class of '66). His animation and excitement brought history to life and was my favorite class.  Strangely enough, I always looked forward to his self-named "Bone Crusher" surprise tests and his somewhat devilish grin and the humor that accompanied each class and test.  He was an absolutely unforgettable character in the best sense of that phrase.  He made every second of class enjoyable. 

Mr. Bruce was absolutely my favorite teacher at LAHS!  I was in the same class as John Oldemeyer - U S history 1958-59.  I always looked forward to his enthusiasm and his lively lectures.  Can’t forget that smile!  He would expect us to take notes on each if his lectures.  After four or five lectures, our exam would be to write on one of those lectures.   It was always interesting and impossible not to learn.  
Great memories of a great teacher and a good person.

Celebrate the life of this good man! I was his student, as were hundreds of others - no recommendations, no thoughts about why or how it might unfold - just very good luck!  

"Mr. Bruce" was one of the most memorable figures in my life while at Los Altos High School. 

To all who are descended from him, to all who were fortunate enough to experience his joyful depictions of our past (in the context of where we may go together) I say "Wonderful!"

John Hughes-Caley - LAHS '62

Mr. Bruce was a HUGE INSPIRATION & FORMATIVE influence in my life. Ken was the spark that that started me on my journey to where I am today. There is not a month that passes that I don’t acknowledge his huge influence on my life. As a struggling teenager with little direction, Ken set high standards & expected & helped me to reach for the sky!  

I was a kid going no where, with absolutely no direction until I was lucky enough to get into one of his US history classes. Ken taught more than history. He showed his students they could succeed!!  

Mr. Bruce, we all continue to miss your humor and humanity.  I'll forever remember leading us through your Brigade...a special moment.  Thank you for sharing your knowledge and wisdom.

I remember sitting in another history teacher’s class whilst across the hall there was Mr. Bruce acting out the history.  I was so jealous of that class.  Nodding out in my own, I know I’d have been far more interested in history had I been in Mr. Bruces class.  The laughter, the booming voice of Bruce, he invested himself in his classes.  My condolences to his family.  He was what one wishes for in a teacher.

So sad to lose my favorite teacher at Los Altos High and then at DeAnza.  He was so funny and so respectful of his students.  I was thrilled when he came to speak at a Mayflower luncheon...  I told him there that I would have done much better in school if I'd known that I was a Mayflower descendant... then I went back to college and did do better...  He was always cheerful and encouraging!  He liked to come to our LAHS Class of 1962 reunions... and we all loved having him there.  May God comfort his whole family and his many students who loved him.  Hope to be able to be at his Celebration of Life!  
Ginni Small Chambers


Ken was a great teacher which I experienced, not in a classroom setting but on his “last “ Bruce’s Brigade. He left for De Anza after my sophomore year.
He was friendly with my parents and he and I developed a friendship and saw each other many times over the years. I was blessed to have his friendship.
He was charming and funny as well as a great fount of knowledge.
He is already missed.
Rest in Peace my friend.

Mr. Bruce ... he was my World History teacher at Los Altos High in 1963.  He made us laugh and intimidated us with that wooden pointer and the time he handed us that map of the Pacific Ocean and told us to memorize all the islands and island groups.  I always pushed back when I saw an opportunity and he loved it.  35 years later we crossed paths on the hike up Vernal Falls. He was resting against a rock wall and I called out "Mr. Bruce" in a way that indicated my surprise that he was still alive. He answered:  "Well, look what you find when you haven't got a gun!".

My brother, Ken Colgan, had him 2 years later and kept in touch until his death 3 years ago.  Mr. Bruce was extraordinary. May Jehovah and his son remember him in the resurrection. I would like to shake his hand again and thank him for his love of teaching. ... Keith Colgan.

Mr. Bruce was the best history teacher ever. I was lucky enough to have had him at LAHS and Foothill. I though that I didn’t listen in class but boy it all came streaming back after the 2016 election. I am forever grateful for his kindness. It was great to see him at our 50th reunion. He will be greatly missed🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻❤️

Mr. Bruce, Bruce’s Brigade made history come alive for me. People say history was their least favorite subject. I have to stop and consider not everyone had a teacher like Mr.Bruce. The comments here show it… he stood tall among teachers because of the person he was.  Thank you Mr. Bruce.

“Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.”
 
Abraham Lincoln

Ken was my High School HistoryTeacher at Los Altos, and later, a dear friend. Over the last 20 years, we often met for lunch or coffee together. I also often thoroughly enjoyed sitting in on his History classes. And ... by the picture you can tell, we always had fun together. I could go on, but suffice to say, I already miss you my friend. 
I am certain you are wandering heaven and have already shaken hands with Abe, FDR, and JFK and Ben Franklin. 

After working at De Anza for so many years, knowing him mostly by his showman reputation, I finally retired so I could actually take US History classes at the Sunnyvale Senior Center from Ken Bruce! I was not disappointed. I learned, I smiled, and I laughed a lot…for the following eight years!!!  I just refused to graduate. Thank you for being you, Ken.  I’ll miss you. 

 Bruce’s Brigade 1968
I was in Mr. Bruce’s history class at Los Altos high school my junior year. He was the best teacher I ever had and definitely a teacher that made a big difference in many students lives. He brought history to life and gave it meaning. His manner of teaching and teaching history sparked interest in me and I studied history  and political science in college. I look forward to his class every day, although I was always terrified he’d call on me to make me part of his story as he acted out at historical event. He was a great human, and brought a lot of good to this world. I’m sure he’s somewhere in heaven right now, giving a class on the Civil War, and acting out every part. If every teacher was like him, the world would be a better place.


In Mr. Bruce's class I discovered that history was less about memorizing names and dates and more about the intricate dance of analyzing decisions based on the backgrounds and influences on the players. I will be forever grateful. 

Mr Bruce is the only teacher I remember from high school. He was my history teacher around 1966 or 1967. He was do dramatic it was impossible not to pay attention in class. Even if you sat in the back of the room. I remember Mr. Bruce talking about some battle and he charged, role playing it,  and he landed in the lap of a football player. When they both got up off the floor, the metal chair legs were bent! How can anyone ever forget that or Mr. Bruce. I'm 73 now so he must have been 21 at the time. A teacher could never teach so dramatically these days as he did then. I'm one of the fortunate ones who got to have him as a teacher. Thank you Mr Bruce!!!!

I had Mr Bruce for three different history classes.  He inspired me to learn more about history, and his lively and humorous presentation style is something that I use to this day as a tour guide and educator.

Mr. Bruce was my high school history professor and I loved every single day I spent in his class room. He was so influential in my life that I majored in history and political science and graduated with my degree. Only member of my family to do so. They just don’t make teachers like Mr. Bruce very often. He’ll live in my heart always. — 

He was the best teacher I ever had.  I didn't like history classes until I went to De Anza College and had him as my history teacher.  He had  a wonderful style he brought to the classroom.  I can see he made an impact on most of his students after reading the heartfelt messages here.  He will truly be missed.

A great historian and loved by his students.

Mr. Bruce will live forever in the minds he engaged in the classroom.

I am so sorry to hear of Mr. Bruce's passing.   The best teacher I have ever had.   I loved going to his history classes, you never knew what to expect, from him dressing as junipero Serra and talking about the CA Missions, to sitting in class, and suddenly the TV's come on and the attack on Pearl Harbor starts.   Amazing teacher, I learned so much from him.    May he rest in peace.

Most inspirational history teacher in the Universe.

I’m so sorry to hear about Ken’s passing. I was in his history class in the 80s, and I’ve been in a lot of college classes since, but he ranks as one of my absolute favorite teachers. His book is in my bookshelf to this day. He didn’t just teach, he told the story of history in such a way that I made sure I was in his class each session. He was a huge inspiration for my becoming a teacher, and he still inspires me to work to love my subject and help my students to love it as well.  

Joanna Beall Gravel

Thank you so much, for the great times in the classroom, the lessoned learn, the laughter and the memories. 

Murderer’s Row (1973-1975)

My sincere condolences for the passing of Mr. Bruce. I had the great privilege to take two of his classes in the 80’s. His teaching style was captivating. I would record his lectures just to hear them again when I got home, just in case I missed a missed an important nugget or joke. Teachers like him inspired me to become a teacher myself. Thank you, Mr. Bruce for your gift!

OBITUARY

Kenneth R. Bruce

December 31, 1928 – April 17, 2023

Lima Family Santa Clara Mortuary

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