Paul Romberg, Ex-S.F. State Chief, Dies

Paul F. Romberg, the tall, taciturn botanist who was asked by the Academic Senate at San Francisco State University not to accept the school’s presidency one day after he was named to succeed S. I. Hayakawa in 1973, has died.

Romberg, who ignored the request and served for 10 relatively uneventful years, was 63 when he died at a family gathering in Sebastopol, Calif., on Saturday. Death was attributed to a heart attack.

He had been the choice of California State University trustees to succeed Hayakawa, but faculty members--believing they had not been given sufficient input into the selection process--urged him not to accept the post.

Romberg came to San Francisco toward the end of an era that featured free-speech and anti-Vietnam War demonstrations. Many feel Hayakawa’s firm handling of the protests led to his later election to the U.S. Senate.

Romberg’s years, however, were filled with more academic matters. His proudest achievement, he said, was the acquisition of a 35-acre Tiburon bayshore site for environmental studies. The center has since been named for him.

When he resigned in 1983, his successor, Chia-wei Woo, was selected with the enthusiastic support of the San Francisco faculty.

Romberg had come to San Francisco from Bakersfield, where, in 1967, he had been founding president of California State College, Bakersfield. In Bakersfield, he was remembered for construction of a nursing building now named for him and the development of an outside business support group that helped finance athletic programs.

Earlier, he had been dean of instruction and vice president for academic affairs at California State University, Chico.

Romberg was born in Nebraska and served as a Marine combat pilot in World War II. He earned his bachelor’s and doctoral degrees in biological science from the University of Nebraska. From 1954 to 1962, he taught biology, botany and medical mycology at Wabash College in Indiana and at Iowa State University.

He leaves his wife, Rose; two daughters, and a grandson.