George Cochran

George Cochran is the Principal of Astoria Middle School in Astoria, Oregon, located on Earth (Horizons). As an NPC, he is portrayed by Joseph Rose.

Appearance
George Cochran is a large man, powerfully-built but definitely overweight, with a rather severe beard and a largely bald head. He has blue eyes and dark brown hair, and stands at approximately 6'4".

Personality
A man of large appetites, George Cochran lives by the words "Go big or go home", and his personality reflects those sentiments. He seems very accustomed to getting his way, and he is a force to be reckoned with when someone tries to prevent him from doing what he wants. But he's not just the archetypal Type-A personality, he also shows signs of being insecure, and has a reputation for remaining holed up in his office, unseen by both teachers and students, for days at a time.

Background
Born and raised in San Jose, California, Cochran entered into the workforce as an educator, teaching economics at Stanford University for four years before leaving his position to work for a startup called Animus Technologies. Under his guidance, the company grew rich and influential, becoming the company it is today. He worked there as Chief Financial Officer for eight years before accusations of embezzling forced him to leave his post there. He was never officially accused of a crime, but the accusation alone was enough to make him unwelcome throughout Silicon Valley, and so he moved out of California, to Oregon. Two years later, he was offered a position at Astoria Middle School, due to his experience both in education and in finance. At the time, Astoria Middle School was in dire straits financially, but George Cochran managed to turn it around, allowing the school to thrive and grow. Still, his past continues to haunt him, as the School Board tends to blame any financial discrepancies on him, even without any evidence.

Breanna Dawson
When Breanna and Rosemarie's father, Isaac Dawson, was killed in March of 2067, George Cochran was the first to lend them a helping hand. Rosemarie was already one of his teachers at the school, but Breanna was working a series of part-time jobs that didn't pay much, trying to help her sister pay the rent. Cochran helped Breanna find a job at Astoria Middle School as the school secretary and registrar and created a schedule for her that allows her to work other jobs and attend school in the meantime.

Rosemarie Dawson
If Rosemarie weren't as diligent as she is, Cochran would likely be accused of favoritism of some kind, because he treats her almost like a little sister, going out of his way to make things easier on her and Breanna, especially since their father's death.

Karen Hara
Seven years ago, in 2060, rookie FBI Agent Karen Hara accused Cochran of embezzling from Animus Technologies. Though she never presented enough evidence to lead to a conviction, and the case never went to trial, her accusations caused him to become blacklisted throughout Silicon Valley, forcing him to leave a cushy job at one of the world's most wealthy and influential companies to become the principal of a small middle school in Oregon.

Zachary Quantrell
Zachary was one of the students of Cochran's economics class back at Stanford, and even though Zachary dropped out, his relationship with Cochran remained strong, as did his respect for the man. When Zachary founded Animus Technologies, he asked Cochran to come on board as his CFO, and Cochran agreed. They worked together well for eight years, until Karen Hara's accusations caused their relationship to become strained. Eventually, it was Zachary Quantrell that asked his old teacher and friend to leave the company. The two of them haven't spoken since.

Michael Lewis
Michael's somewhat unfocused approached to teaching has often gotten under Cochran's skin, resulting in frequent clashes between the two of them.

Ramon Vega
Though the two of them seem to have a cordial relationship, Cochran often seems unduly anxious around Ramon. The exact cause is unknown.

Alastair Lorca
Lorca and his employer have a cordial working relationship. If anything, Lorca often seems to forget that Cochran is there.

Luanne Harris
The two of them rarely interact, but Luanne rarely interacts with anyone outside of her students.

Fabio Torres
The two of them get along well, though Fabio often bemoans how small the performing arts budget is.

Elizabeth Mortimer
A longtime teacher at Astoria Middle School, she resigned her post two years after Cochran became principal.