©Jim Marshall Photography LLC/ Courtesy of Jim Marshall
—Peter Albin (attended ’64 – ’66), founding member of Big Brother & the Holding Company
Photographer Herb Greene is known as one of the first to shoot The Grateful Dead. In the 1960s, he invited bands and musicians to studios in San Francisco or his apartment instead of photographing them at concerts. His rocker clientele included Led Zeppelin, Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin and others. He attended City College of San Francisco and then studied Anthropology at SFSU.
A leader in California politics, John Burton (B.S., ’54) served in the California State Assembly, chaired the state’s Democratic Party and served as a member of Congress. He was a mentor to Rep. Nancy Pelosi. While at SFSU, he studied social science and was the men’s basketball team’s starting point guard his senior year.
As an SFSU student, Athletics Hall of Famer Frank Verducci (B.A., ’54; M.S., ’58) participated in basketball, soccer and track. Years after graduating, he served as assistant coach and head coach for men’s basketball and was professor, department chair and director of the graduate program in Kinesiology. He was 92 years old.
Suzanne London (B.A., ’73) studied Social Welfare at SFSU from 1969 to 1973. For decades she worked at the S.A.F.E. program to help women in the city. She also helped dogs connect with loving owners and homes.
Famed author of “The Vampire Diaries” series L.J. Smith (Credential, ’86) died after battling a rare autoimmune disease for a decade. After earning her teaching credential from SFSU, she worked as an elementary school teacher for three years before pursuing writing full time.
Barbara Stuart Stilson (B.A., ’88) died at the age of 90. She lived in Oklahoma (her home state), Europe and Seattle until she settled in California after reuniting with a high school sweetheart. After his death, she moved back to Seattle and was active in her church, walking group and with her children and grandchildren.
Journalist Gordon Mah Ung (B.A., ’93) died at age 58 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was the executive editor at PCWorld. He had more than 25 years of experience covering computer technology and computer chips, the latter being his area of expertise. He was an early podcaster in tech and hosted “The Full Nerd.”
Bay Area musician Alex Petralia (B.S., ’12) grew up as a supporter and active member of the local music scene, playing with several bands. From 2014 to 2021, he was the frontman for the noise rock band Nopes, co-writing and releasing several albums.
Federal Glover was a former Pittsburg mayor and Contra Costa County supervisor. He was the county’s first Black supervisor and served six terms. He helped lead the creation of the county’s Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice and led education and community wellness initiatives. He studied Business Administration at SFSU.
Chia-Wei Woo:
A Bridge Across Cultures
Former SFSU President Chia-Wei Woo passed away on March 2 in San Francisco. He was 87. He served as SFSU president from 1983 to 1988.
When appointed to lead SFSU, Woo became the first Chinese American to be president of a major university. San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein awarded him the key to the city.
In 1984, he was president of the National Association of Chinese-Americans and a liaison to the Chinese Olympic Committee. He left SFSU to become the founding president of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST).
Born in Shanghai on Nov. 13, 1937, and raised in Hong Kong, Woo was offered a Georgetown College scholarship at age 17 and earned his Ph.D. in Physics from Washington University in St. Louis. After a postdoctoral fellowship at University of California, San Diego, he began his academic career in 1966 at Northwestern University, where he rose to be chair of Physics and Astronomy. He returned to UC San Diego in 1979 to serve as provost of its Revelle College.
Woo’s awards include the Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Award, commander of the British Empire, Gold Bauhinia Star and Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur. He continued to mentor students as HKUST president emeritus after retiring in 2001. Woo authored memoirs and hundreds of articles about his cross-cultural Chinese American experiences.
Woo is survived by his wife of 65 years, Yvonne, four children and nine grandchildren.