A memorial celebration for Dennis Harris, professor emeritus of history, is Sun., Sept. 20 at 2 p.m. in the University Commons. Harris passed away June 22 at his home in Healdsburg, due to complications from paralysis. He was 70 years old. Those who wish to attend the memorial are asked to RSVP with Bonnie Harris at (707) 322-8762.
IN MEMORIAM
Remembering Warren Olson
Warren E. Olson, SSU's first professor of philosophy and humanities, passed away on Sept. 7 at his home in Santa Rosa. He was 84 years old.
Born in Illinois in 1925, Olson has been described as a war hero, a peace activist and an educator, who became an early leader of the 1960s anti-war movement in Sonoma County. His experience fighting in WWII – where he earned the nation's third-highest military honor, the Silver Star, and was later shot in the chest by a sniper – led him to hold strong anti-war views throughout the remainder of his life. "I think the phrase 'man's inhumanity to man' really captures his anti-war views, " said his son, Jeff Olson.
After returning home from war, Olson went to college on the GI Bill, completing his doctorate in American Studies. By 1962, Olson had started a family with his wife, Maurine, and they moved to Sonoma County. He became the first professor of philosophy and humanities at the newly established Sonoma State College. He was a founder of the Hutchins School of Liberal Studies, and remained with SSU until 1991.
Warren E. Olson is survived by his wife of 63 years, Maurine; his sons Craig and Jeff, his daughter Marcy, and his sister Kathy.
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