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NEWS RELEASE

Memorial to be Held for Pioneering CSUN Engineering Professor John J. Guarrera

(NORTHRIDGE, Calif., Feb. 5, 2007) -- Faculty and staff from Cal State Northridge’s College of Engineering and Computer Science will celebrate the life of pioneering engineering professor John J. Guarrera at a campus memorial service on Friday, Feb. 23.

Guarrera, who retired only two years ago at age 82, died Dec. 6 near his home in El Cajon.

The memorial is scheduled to take place from 2:30 to 4 p.m. in the Johnson Auditorium in Jacaranda Hall, north of the Oviatt Library, near the center of the campus at 18111 Nordhoff St. in Northridge.

"John Guarrera left an indelible mark on our community through his commitment to education and our students," said S.K. Ramesh, dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science. "We wanted to find someway to cherish all that he did and to say good-bye."

University officials said it was Guarrera’s commitment to the field of engineering and the career opportunities it presented to Cal State Northridge students that fueled his determination to save the College of Engineering and Computer Science in the early 1970s when the CSU Chancellor’s Office threatened to eliminate it in an effort to streamline the campus.

Guarrera, then president of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, rallied professional support for the college. He was instrumental in convincing the CSU Board of Trustees that Cal State Northridge needed a College of Engineering and Computer Science.

The experience with the Chancellor’s Office convinced former dean Charles Sanders that the college needed to strengthen its ties with local industrial and professional communities, and in 1976 he created the Center for Research and Services. Among his many achievements was the development of a design program that placed students with industry professionals.

In 2004 Guarrera’s family created a $100,000 scholarship endowment at the university in his honor.

His family has asked that donations be made to the John and Jo Guarrera Endowment in Engineering in CSUN’s College of Engineering and Computer Science. Checks should be made payable to CSUN Foundation, with a notation referring to the endowment. Contributions should be sent in care of Tammy Glenn, Director of Development, College of Engineering and Computer Science, California State University, Northridge, 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge, CA 91330-8295.