MONDAY, APRIL 26, 1999

Couple donates $1 million to CSULB

By Rachelle Imson

On-Line Forty-Niner

Even before the telephone interview began, Audrey Hauth wanted her husband, Luster, to be on the phone too. After all, they donated $1 million to Cal State Long Beach's Communication Studies Department together.

The whopping amount is the end result of the sale from the couple's beachfront triplex in Seal Beach, which they had owned since 1974. The couple said they wanted to give something back to the school they love.

"We believe in public education," Audrey said. "We donated the money to show our support for public education. Plus, we really like the school."

Luster Hauth taught at CSULB for 28 years in the Communications Studies Department, never missing a single day of class. He retired seven years ago and said he was just lucky to be teaching in the right field.

The money will be used for the development and construction of The Luster E. and Audrey Nichol Hauth Center for Communication Skills.

Audrey, a teacher at Westminister High School for 20 years, said "Nichol" was included in the center's name to honor her parents.

"My parents were big donors," she said. "I wanted to carry that idea to my generation and hopefully to my daughters."

The Seal Beach couple had thought about donating money to CSULB for a year until they finally decided after meeting with Dr. Pat Kearney, a CSULB communication studies professor.

"We wanted to distribute some of our money while we were still alive," Audrey said, Hauth's wife of 44 years. "We've been working with this idea off and on for a while."

The Hauth's donation is the largest gift of its kind from a retired California State University faculty member, according to university officials.

As the Hauth's triplex nears the close of escrow, plans are underway for the Hauth Center, due to open in the fall.

The center will feature state-of-the-art technology including videotaping and playback equipment to help assist the campus community to receive individualized assistance, according to a CSULB Public Affairs press release.

Employment interviewing skills, lecture preparation and presentation, use of communication presentation software, and class communication are just some of the areas the center will help students with.