San Diego

Two wings of the San Diego State University Social Science Building will be renamed to honor historian Abraham Nasatir and retired geography professor Alvena Storm this fall. The two SDSU professors have taught at the school for a combined total of 90 years, Marilyn Boxer, dean of the College of Arts and Letters, said Tuesday.

Nasatir, a professor emeritus, taught history for 50 years and is considered an expert on California and Mississippi Valley history. He was honored last year when university officials endowed a professorship in modern Jewish history in his name.

Nasatir still maintains an office in the wing that will soon bear his name, where he continues his research and writing. He lost an estimated 500,000 documents and manuscripts last year when the Normal Heights fire swept through his home.

A classroom wing will be named for professor emeritus Alvena Storm, who taught geography at SDSU from 1926 to 1966. It will mark the first time an SDSU campus building will be named for a woman, Boxer said.