Police
find professor dead
By Kristen Force
On-line Forty-Niner
Professor
Charles Fillerup was found dead in his home
Tuesday in Venice Beach from what police
said they believe to be natural causes,
said Lt. William Brucker of the Santa Monica
Police Department.
The 73-year-old chemical engineering professor
had not been heard from in several days
and had missed classes, said Toni Beron,
public affairs officer for Cal State Long
Beach.
The Santa Monica Police were called by a
friend of Fillerup’s to check his house
around 6 p.m. Tuesday.
“There is no evidence of any foul play,”
said Brucker, the watch commander for the
shift. “He did not have a regular doctor,
so we don’t know of any health conditions,
but it appears to be natural causes at this
time.”
Fillerup has been teaching at CSULB for
more than 20 years as a part-time lecturer
in the chemical engineering department.
He taught process control, thermodynamics
and computer classes.
Department Chairman Lloyd Hile said Fillerup
was an active and enthusiastic teacher who
had a great interest in helping students.
“He was very dynamic for his age,” Hile
said. “He was always looking for innovative
ways to teach and his door was always open
for students.”
Fillerup was involved in outreach programs
at local high schools and community colleges
to make students aware of the opportunities
available for engineers.
He also participated in programs with the
Navy to teach servicemen aboard ships.
“Those experiences were really quite unique
for him,” Hile said. “He was always sending
postcards from interesting places.”
A memorial will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday
at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills. Anyone interested
in attending is invited and can contact
the chemical engineering department for
more information at (562) 985-4909.
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