Irving Ahlquist, 84; Early Teacher at Cal State Long Beach
Irving F. Ahlquist, 84, the last survivor of the 13 original faculty members at Cal State Long Beach, died June 13 in Rossmoor, Calif. The cause of death was not announced.
Born in Rockford, Ill., Ahlquist earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Wheaton College, and a master’s in social science and doctorate in history at the University of Illinois. He served in the Army during World War II, rising to the rank of captain, and later taught at Iowa State Teachers College, now the University of Northern Iowa.
Joking that “I got tired of the winter,” Ahlquist moved west to join a dozen other faculty members and 169 students at what was first known as Los Angeles-Orange County State College when it was founded Jan. 27, 1949.
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