Roy C. Anderson

Roy C. Anderson was one of the pioneer faculty members in education in Long Beach State, joining the campus in 1950-just one year after its founding. His ties to the campus continued even after his retirement in 1974. Anderson enjoyed returning to campus to do research in the library and attend special events. So it was natural that the professor emeritus of secondary education would remember the campus in his estate.
Anderson, who died Oct. 7, 1999 at the age of 87, bequeathed a charitable gift of more then $42,000 to be used for scholarships for elementary and secondary school credential candidates. Interest will be used to fund the scholarships on a annual basis. The first Roy C. Anderson Memorial Scholarship will be awarded in the fall of 2001. In a letter to the university, David Segesman, trustee/executor and brother-in-law of Anderson, noted that in his estate Anderson — whose wife Lyona died in 1997 — had included “not only their church but where educated and worked. Roy remembered them all and then some. I would say that the students were his kids and thus the charitable gift.” Most of Anderson’s household effects were donated to CSULB for a rummage sake that benefited students. “Roy was very fair-minded, dependable, efficient and a quiet man,” says Professor Emeritus Howard Rolfe. “He was a great scholar and even in retirement he spent several hours a day in the library.”

Anderson taught at Humboldt State before joining the Long Beach State faculty in 1950. Born in Iron Mountain, Mich., in 1911, Anderson earned in B.A. from Augustana College, an M.A. from the University of Michigan and an Ed.D. from Stanford. He came to California while serving in the U.S. Air Force. He and Lyona were members of Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Long Beach and enjoyed traveling around the world together before and after retirement. “We only wish that we could have had the opportunity to thank Roy personally for his generosity,” says Barbara Holden, director of development for the College of Education. “We want to let our donor know just how much we appreciate their gifts to the university. Such gifts help the excellence in educational opportunities that make CSULB an outstanding institution.”

The College of Education (CED) expresses gratitude to all scholarship donors who continue to enhance the quality of education students experience at CSULB.