Memorial
marks dedicated professor
By Tina Page
On-line Forty-Niner
 Charles
Fillerup was the kind of person who gave
100 percent of himself to whomever he talked
to. He had a great sense of humor and was
fair with all of his students. These were
just some of the many sentiments that students,
family, and fellow faculty members agreed
upon during the part-time lecturer’s memorial
service in the University Library Tuesday.
Fillerup was found dead of a stroke in his
home on Sept. 24 at the age of 73. He had
worked at Cal State Long Beach for the past
seven years in the chemical engineering
department. During these seven years, Fillerup
also taught U.S. Navy service men and women
aboard ships on tour to the Persian Gulf,
said Velda Flint, Fillerup’s sister.
“He was a pretty interesting character with
a unique gift of making everyone he came
into contact with feel like they were the
only thing that was important,” Flint said.
More than 30 students visited the memorial
to share memories and to sign a banner.
Some students publicly spoke at the podium
and others chose to share their grief amongst
the students that they knew.
“He was my teacher for two classes,” said
Phi Vu, a chemical engineering student.
“I remember that he was always trying to
help us. He would tell us all to write down
what our problems were with writing reports
so he could help us to get better at writing.”
Another recurring subject among people who
knew Fillerup was his use of Post-it notes.
His books, notebooks and office were filled
with the small size post-it notes, said
Sarah MacCallum, Fillerup’s fellow teacher
and friend in the chemical engineering department.
“The Post-it notes were testament to his
dedication to his students. He would develop
his curriculum based on what the students
wanted to know and then he would mark it
all down with little Post-it notes. He handed
me a stack of grade books once and asked
me if I wanted them because he never used
them. He was such a unique teacher.”
Fillerup’s students held him in the same
high regard as his friends did. The students
at the memorial all agreed that he was a
hard instructor, but fair. This oral sentiment
was reflected in the written words of the
students on the banner.
“Once you told me that if I helped you out
with an outreach you would treat me to dinner,”
one student wrote. “I got busy with school
and we kept postponing our dinner. Dinner
never happened, but I promise you that when
I meet you again in heaven I will treat
you to dinner. I will miss you.”
Fillerup will be remembered for his dedication
to education and to the students that came
with it. He will be remembered for his uniqueness
and his ability to still do the splits at
the age of 73. These memories were shared
among the educator’s friends and family
at the memorial and will remain with the
people whose lives he touched.
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