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news
Academic leader
Cunningham dies
By Christina
L. Esparza
On-line Forty-Niner
Described by many
as inspiring, passionate and caring, former Academic Senate
and journalism department chairman Ben Cunningham died Tuesday
night at 73.
"He was one
of the great guys," said Jim Davis, former Cal State
Long Beach journalism professor and a good friend of Cunningham's.
"Almost all of the greatest students worshiped him...
and he got through to all of the students other professors
missed."
Cunningham died
after being in a coma for five days at Kaiser Permanente in
Bellflower, said Toni Beron, CSULB assistant vice president
of public affairs and one of Cunningham's former students.
The cause of death was not specified, but Beron said he battled
illness off and on for the past two years.
"He was a
very dear friend. He was part of our family," Beron said.
"The world is an emptier place today."
Cunningham was
part of the CSULB family for 23 years before retiring in 1992.
He served as journalism department chairman from 1978 to 1981,
and three terms as Academic Senate chairman from 1986 to 1989.
He was also interim publisher for the On-line Forty-Niner,
shortly before retiring.
As publisher of
the On-line Forty-Niner and earlier as adviser to the Daily
Viking at Long Beach City College, Cunningham helped both
publications rank as All-American Collegiate newspapers, the
most prestigious honor given to college newspapers in the
country.
"Ben was instrumental
in who I became as a journalist," said Jeff Mitchell,
city editor for the North County Times in Escondido and former
Forty-Niner editor in chief. "If it wasn't for Ben, I
wouldn't be as successful in journalism. I'm going to miss
him."
CSULB recognized
Cunningham's effort and dedication to his students by giving
him the Professor of the Year Award for 1988. He was also
the first recipient of the Nicholas Perkins Hardeman Academic
Leadership Award in 1989, an award given to faculty members
whose contributions made a significant difference at CSULB.
"He was a
very demanding and challenging teacher," Beron said.
"He encouraged students to put forth their best effort."
Jamie Eggleston,
Forty-Niner production manager, remembered Cunningham as a
man who brought out the best in people, both academically
and personally.
"B.C. was
one of those professors that everyone wanted, although he
was really tough," Eggleston said. "He always treated
me like I was his daughter. I don't know how many times he's
told me he was proud of me."
Cunningham worked
at the Long Beach Independent Press-Telegram in the mid-1950s.
He also worked at United Press International, the Los Angeles
Times and the Associated Press.
During the Korean
War, he earned a Purple Heart and a Combat Infantryman's Badge.
Cunningham received
his bachelor's degree in political science in 1958 and a master's
degree in economics in 1959, both from USC. He came to CSULB
in 1968 as head of the broadcast journalism option after teaching
at LBCC for nine years.
In his almost 40
years in journalism, Cunningham made a name for himself as
a strong advocate for First Amendment rights and became a
law and ethics specialist.
"He was one
of the best anywhere in helping people understand law and
ethics," Beron said.
In a 1992 interview,
Cunningham explained his love of teaching, and journalism.
"Not many
people can do what they love to do, and get paid for it,"
he said. "It's a wonderful life."
He was also a two-time
president of the Los Angles Chapter of the Society of Professional
Journalists, which awarded him its Freedom of Information
Award in 1991. He was twice named Journalism Educator of the
Year by the California Newspapers Publishers Association.
Besides being an
admired professor, Cunningham became a well-respected figure
in CSULB faculty politics when he took the chairman's seat
at the Academic Senate.
"Ben was Senate
chair at a tough time," said current chairman Simeon
Crowther. The university was suffering through budget cuts
and officials were debating whether to cut the football team.
"He was the first Senate chair to really make an effort
to persuade administration to work with faculty.
"He was the
kind of guy who stood up for what he believed in. I hardly
ever knew him to back down."
Cunningham is survived
by his wife, Julie Ann; his sons Michael and Kevin; grandsons
Ryan and Sean; and sister Norma Estridge.
Mass will be celebrated
at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 11 at St Anne's Catholic Church,
340 10th St. in Seal Beach, followed by a wake at 8:30 p.m.
In lieu of flowers,
the family asks that donations be made to the CSULB Ben Cunningham
Scholarship Fund, in care of Christina Salvador, CSULB University
Relations and Development 1250 Bellflower Blvd. Long Beach,
Calif. 90840.
Submit your
comments about Professor Cunningham in the On-line Forty-NIner
Lounge: CSULB
remembers Professor Ben Cunningham
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