Lucian C. Marquis, 84; Longtime Professor at Pitzer College
Lucian C. Marquis, 84, a longtime professor of political science at Pitzer College for whom a library at the school was named, died Jan. 21 at his home in Claremont of complications from Parkinson’s disease.
Marquis joined the Pitzer faculty in 1967 after teaching at the University of Oregon. At Pitzer, he taught nontraditional, multidisciplinary learning programs, as well as political science. The Mead Hall Library on the school’s campus was renamed for him in 1984. He retired in 1991.
Born in Stuttgart, Germany, Marquis and his family fled the Nazis in the 1930s, living in Rome before moving to Beverly Hills in 1937. He graduated from Beverly Hills High School and earned his bachelor’s degree from Black Mountain College in North Carolina. Fluent in French, German and Italian, Marquis worked for United Press, monitoring German radio broadcasts. In 1943, he joined the Army and served in the Battle of the Bulge.
After military service, he taught in Massachusetts. He earned his master’s degree and doctorate from UCLA.
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