CSUF Professor Emeritus Donald A. Sears Dies

Funeral services will be held today for Donald A. Sears, 70, professor emeritus of English at Cal State Fullerton.

Sears, who joined the Fullerton faculty in 1967, died Sunday of heart failure at his home in Montecito, Cal State Fullerton officials said. He won the university’s outstanding professor award in 1981 and served as the chairman of the linguistics department and Faculty Council (now the Academic Senate).

The author of hundreds of books, poems, monographs, articles and book reviews, Sears earned his doctorate from Harvard University, Cal State Fullerton spokeswoman Pam McLaren said. He taught at Dartmouth College, Howard University and Ahmadu Bello University in Nigeria, among other institutions.

Poetry anthologists have called Sears a master of craftsmanship, McLaren said. His poetry won awards in the All Nations Poetry Contest, the New Worlds Poetry Contest and others.

Topic of his articles have ranged from American values and frontier history to music, McLaren said.

In his “Winter Solstice,” Sears pondered about solitude affecting people on a rainy day.

The same rains falling

Hiss on broken leaves

Which silently

The sea receives

Waiting, as I wait--

Here, until I leave.

He also served as the executive director of the College English Assn. from 1962 to 1970. From 1966 to 1970, he directed a national fellowship program for young writers.

Sears is survived by his wife, Joanne L. Sears, professor emeritus of English and comparative literature at Cal State Fullerton; daughters Jennifer Talbor, Jeannie Prince and Elizabeth Farley; a son, Dr. Stephen Sears; stepdaughters Robin-Lynn Jacobs and Katherine Lynn; stepson Steven Lynn; and 11 grandchildren.

The memorial service will be at 1 p.m. at the All Saints by the Sea Episcopal Church in Montecito.