In Memoriam

STAN ABBOT (’65) was an assistant professor at the Missouri School of Journalism at University of Missouri in Columbia. Abbot worked for the school’s Columbia Missourian as a city editor, where he mentored hundreds of young journalists. Abbot also served as executive editor of the Anchorage Daily News, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1976 in the public service category with Abbot at the helm. In 1999, Cal State LA honored Abbot with the Distinguished Alumni Award for his service as a journalism educator and newspaper editor.

FRANK R. BALLE, professor emeritus of civil engineering, proposed the first graduate level civil engineering course at Cal State LA. Balle also served as department chair and associate dean of engineering.

JIMMIE LEE (JB) BARNES (’73) was a multi-sport athlete, Army veteran, and law enforcement officer at the California Youth Authority.

DOROTHY BRIZENDINE (’60) was a primary grade teacher in the San Gabriel and Hemet Unified School Districts for more than 20 years.

ROBERT G. CATHCART, professor emeritus of speech, was recognized as Outstanding Professor in 1965-66 and in 1966-67 and was the campus nominee for the statewide award in 1965.

GARY DIMKICH was an athlete, restaurant owner, actor, and avid horseracing fan. Dimkich played football at Cal State LA and led the conference in punting for one season. He worked in the food service industry and eventually purchased the popular eatery, Delacy’s Club 41. Dimkich also pursued an acting career, appearing on LUCK, The Mentalist, Sons of Anarchy, and other television shows.

GARY ERNST (’82) worked as a mortgage broker and was city treasurer for Oceanside.

FRANK FENTON (’66) was former mayor of Beverly Hills and served as a city council member, the city treasurer and as a Beverly Hills Unified School District board member.

LOUIS GREEN (’65, ’68 M.A.) was an economics professor at San Diego State University. 

ERNEST GUTIERREZ (’62) and OLGA GUTIERREZ (’81 M.A.). Ernest was former mayor of El Monte and served as one of El Monte’s first Latino councilmen. He was a teacher and school counselor at a number of schools in Los Angeles County. Olga was a teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District, El Monte City School District and taught for a year at UCLA. Together, the Gutierrezes founded La Historia Society Museum, which celebrates the rich cultural history of El Monte.

MICHAEL S. HARPER (’61, ’63 M.A.) was a poet and English professor. Two of his poetry collections were nominated for the National Book Award.

WILLIAM (BILL) THOMAS HOLLINGER (’66) was a ship coordinator for the U.S. Oceanographic Research and Development Branch in San Diego.

JOHN IACONO (’53) was founder of the Boys and Girls Club of the Mountain Communities. After serving in the Army from 1945-47, he was director of physical activities at the Los Angeles Times Boys’ Club.

JOAN JOHNSON devoted her career to developing women’s intercollegiate tennis as a professor, administrator and coach at Cal State LA. Johnson joined the Cal State faculty in 1955 and soon helped to pioneer the Southern California Women’s Intercollegiate Tennis League. As coach of the women’s tennis team from 1959 until 1975, Johnson played a key role in the development of tennis legend Billie Jean King, who won her first Wimbledon title while she was attending Cal State LA. Working closely with longtime men’s coach Cameron “Scotty” Deeds, Johnson and Deeds saw the value in practicing the men’s and women’s teams together, which greatly influenced King’s thinking about her career and various social issues. Johnson was the chair of the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women’s tennis committee from 1977 until 1980 and director of the AIAW Division II national tennis championships that Cal State LA hosted in 1980. She was also a professor emeritus in the Department of Physical Education, and served as the chair of the Women’s and Co-Ed Intercollegiate Athletic Board. Johnson, Deeds and King were charter members in the inaugural Cal State LA Hall of Fame class in 1985. In 2013, Johnson and Deeds were honored with the Joe Shapiro Humanitarian Award at the Billie Jean King & Friends Gala.

BILL JONES was a celebrity photographer who documented the rise of Black Hollywood. One of few African American photographers on the red carpet, Jones charmed celebrities with his Midwestern manners. He documented the careers of many African American actors, actresses and musicians including Halle Berry, Denzel Washington, Quincy Jones, Whitney Houston and Eddie Murphy. His work appeared in Ebony, Jet and Sister 2 Sister magazines, the L.A. Watts Times, the Los Angeles Wave and L.A. Focus. Jones captured some key moments in history on film, including the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s visit to Los Angeles in 1964, Nelson Mandela’s release from a South African prison in 1990, and Berry and Washington winning Oscars in 2002.

LARRY E. KITCHEN (’61) was a lifelong learner, entrepreneur, and traveler.

JONATHAN J.J. LEWIS (’82 M.B.A.) was director of university dining at Ball State University.

BILL LOVELADY (’49) fought in the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. At Cal State LA, Lovelady met his wife of 65 years, Betty McCann. In 2012, he published a book of poetry, Half-Blind Mirror.

WILLIAM (BILL) MATTINGLY (’74, ’76 M.A.) was an optician and low vision specialist.

LAJOYA MCCOY (’06, ’10 M.S.) was an accountant with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and owner of a clothing boutique in Monterey Park.

ROBERT JOAQUIN MIMIAGA (’62, ’73 M.S.) was a civil engineer, endowed donor, and active volunteer. Mimiaga was a partner at Harris & Associates engineering firm for over 37 years, until his retirement in 2003. At Cal State LA, Mimiaga created a self-funded endowment: the Engineering Family Support Scholarship.

ROY MOORE (’63 M.S.) was a Brea City councilman for 16 years, including time as mayor. Moore also held financial management positions at Rockwell International and was chief financial executive at Reuland Electric Company for five years.

ROBERT MORNEAU, JR. (’72 M.A.) was professor emeritus of criminal justice, and also taught courses in computers.

DAVID MUNIZ-HARRYMAN (’86) was an actor and singer. He performed the title role in Cal State LA’s production of Finian’s Rainbow.

STUART NISBET (’59 B.A.) was an actor and co-founder of the casting agency Baker-Nisbet, Inc. He guest starred in such shows as Happy Days, Route 66, and Hogan’s Heroes. He also appeared in several films, including In the Heat of the Night and Casino.

KRISTAPOR PAKRADOUNI (’68 M.A.) was editor of Asbarez Newspaper for nearly 10 years. After leaving the paper he taught high school French and English until his retirement in 1999.

CHARLES H. PALMER JR. (’53, ’60 M.A.) was a committed educator in the Los Angeles Unified School District for more than 40 years in roles ranging from teacher to regional administrator. He served as president of the California League of Middle Schools, and was honored with the National Urban League’s Educator of the Year award, as well as the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce Principal of the Year award.

VICTOR PROPES (’70) was a civil rights strategist, advocate, and educator. Propes was the executive director of Minnesota’s Council on Black Minnesotans.

DONALD LYNN RANS, professor emeritus of accounting, taught advanced accounting classes and served as acting chair of his department.

LEWIS (LOU) RIGGS (’76) taught sports broadcasting, mass communications, and speech at Santa Monica College.

PAUL H. ROSENTHAL, professor emeritus of information systems, taught a variety of courses in several departments, including accounting and management. Rosenthal is credited as the initiator and incubator of the information systems master’s degree program.

SR. HELEN SCHEEL was an educator and social justice worker. Sister Helen taught at San Juan Capistrano elementary school and later became the school’s principal. She later served as local superior at Monrovia and regional superior of the United States Western Region.

CAROLYN SEE-SPUARK (’57) was an author, book critic, and professor at UCLA and Loyola Marymount University. See wrote more than a dozen books and is best known for her novel Golden Days, a dark comedy set in Topanga Canyon. She was the recipient of several honors, including a Guggenheim Fellowship and a Getty Center fellowship. See’s sense of humor permeated through to her work, both fiction and nonfiction. In her 1995 memoir Dreaming, Hard Luck and Good Times in America, she detailed her upbringing and her own wild streak with humor and understanding. As a leading literary figure in Southern California, See shared her knowledge of the literary world with others who were just getting started.

MARK SINGER (’71) was a contemporary architect in Laguna Beach.

BENJAMIN W. SMITH, professor emeritus of political science, taught American government, political psychology, and political philosophy. Smith was heavily involved in committee service on campus and is credited with negotiating Cal State LA’s first faculty exchange.

LARRY STAMMER was a journalist for the Los Angeles Times. In 1991, Stammer was honored with a Sierra Club Award for his environmental coverage.

YOLANDA TORRES (’57) was an educator, mentor, and activist. Torres served as director of Pacific Oaks Children’s School, founding director of the employer-sponsored childcare center for Huntington Hospital, and commissioner on the Los Angeles County Commission for Children and Families. She co-directed the Family Day Care Project at Pacific Oaks College and co-authored the book, I’m Not Just a Sitter.

ROBERT VAUGHN (’56, ’64 M.A.) became an international TV star for his role as Napoleon Solo in the 1960s series The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Vaughn’s acting career spanned 60 years. He appeared in more than 70 films, including The Magnificent Seven, and The Young Philadelphians, which earned him an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor. He won a supporting actor Emmy for his role in the 1977 mini-series Washington: Behind Closed Doors, and was nominated for best supporting actor for his portrayal of President Woodrow Wilson in the 1979 mini-series Backstairs at the White House. Vaughn also gained notoriety in the 1960s as an antiwar spokesman. In his 2008 autobiography, A Fortunate Life, Vaughn attributed his career achievements to “a modest amount of looks and talent and more than a modicum of serendipity.”

GEORGE R. VICK, emeritus professor of philosophy, was an expert in multiple philosophical disciplines, such as metaphysics, phenomenology, existentialism, philosophy of religion and medieval philosophy.

GARY LEE WALKER (’69) was a Navy veteran, educator, and ordinance worker in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

MAL WHITFIELD (’58) was a three-time Olympic gold medalist and an American goodwill ambassador promoting sports and physical education abroad. During World War II, Whitfield was a member of the acclaimed Tuskegee Airmen. Nicknamed “Marvelous Mal,” he was the Olympic champion of the 800-meter event and a member of the gold medal team in the 4 x 400 meters relay at the 1948 London Games. At the 1952 Helsinki Games, Whitfield repeated his 800-meter victory. In 1954, Whitfield became the first African American athlete to receive the James E. Sullivan Award as the nation’s outstanding amateur athlete. Following his Olympic career, Whitfield spent almost 50 years as a goodwill ambassador, coach, and athletic mentor in Africa on behalf of the United States Information Agency and through his own foundation.