In Memoriam
David Bromige
David Bromige, former SSU English professor and Sonoma County Poet Laureate, passed away June 3. He was 75 years old.
Bromige was the author of more than 40 poetry and prose books, and had given thousands of readings around the world. He was well known for his thoughtful and thorough critiques and suggestions to new, struggling and established writers. Born in London, Bromige was a survivor of the World war II bombings of England, and emigrated to Canada in 1954 to attend the University of British Columbia. There, he discovered his gift for poetry and playwrighting, an graduated in 1962 with a Woodrow Wilson scholarship to UC Berkeley.
Being a poet in the Bay Area in the 1960's, Bromige became closely involved in the emergence of historic poetic movements. In 1970, he joined the English department at Sonoma State. During his twenty-three years at the University, Bromige published several books, including 1980's "My Poetry," which is said to be a classic of the language poetry genre, and received a Pushcart Prize. Bromige also helped to launch and maintain SSU's literary magazine.
After retiring from SSU in 1993, Bromige continued writing, publishing and giving readings. He lived in Sebastopol with his wife Cecilia, who was by his side when he passed away peacefully earlier this month. Bromige is also survived by his children Margaret and Chris and two grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Sonoma County Book Fair.
Hobart "Red" Thomas
Hobart "Red" Thomas, a founding faculty member of Sonoma State, passed away Wed., June 10 in Santa Rosa. He was 85 years old.
Born in Carbondale, PA in 1924, Thomas was the firstborn of a cola miner and his wife. He left Lafayette College at the age of 19 to join the US Army Air Corps, where he was deployed to England as a B-17 navigator. Thomas was promoted to First Lieutenant and survived thirty combat missions, earning him the Distinguished Flying Cross.
By 1951, Thomas had married his wife Rachel and earned a Ph.D. from Stanford. Upon moving to Santa Rosa, he and a group of professors from San Francisco State College opened a small extension on Mendocino Avenue, which would eventually become Sonoma State University, where Thomas served as chair of the Psychology department.
Thomas' passions in life were his wife and three children, his teaching career and music. He said he would tolerate a New Orleans style funeral with a Dixieland band if they agreed not to play "When the Saints Go Marching In." A celebration of life will take place this summer.
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