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Volume 41, Issue 9
February 3, 2004
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February 3, 2004
District mourns death;
replacement to serve till November election
Kimberly Hosey
Mesa Legend
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Gene Eastin, a 40-year veteran of the Maricopa Community College District
and member of the MCCD governing board, died Jan. 8 after battling cancer.
He was 76.
Eastin was respected by his coworkers and admired for his dedication to
education and the district.
“Gene had strong ideals and was a man who wasn’t afraid to
stand up for what he believed in,” said Rufus Glasper, MCCD chancellor.
“He will be missed by his constituents and colleagues.”
Eastin has a long legacy in the district. Prior to serving on the governing
board, he taught for Maricopa community colleges for 30 years, and chaired
the foreign languages department at GCC, where he taught French, for 25
years. He was elected in November 2002 to his second six-year term on
the MCCD governing board, and served as board president in 2000 and board
secretary in 1999.
“Gene will be remembered for his dedication to the Maricopa community
colleges,” Ed Contreras, MCCD governing board president. “He
was devoted to serving this institution and doing what he believed was
best for the students, faculty and staff,” he added.
Fellow MCCD board members admired Eastin’s candor as well as his
insights and ambitions in education.
“He had an outstanding record of service as a faculty member and
board member,” said Don Campbell, fellow board member.
Nancy Stein, another board member, said she respected Eastin and his straight-forward
honesty, even when she differed with him on board issues.
“We didn’t always agree, but I respected him because of his
integrity,” Stein said.
Linda Rosenthal, board secretary, agreed. “Gene was an excellent
and thoughtful board member who always believed in our mission and values.
He was an exemplary colleague and his dedication to our district and community
and its vision will be missed.”
Eastin, who was also a World War II veteran and a member of the U.S. Army
Medical Corps, is a native Arizonan and has always loved studying culture
and language. Before he chaired the foreign language department at GCC,
he spent a year at the University of Paris and also a year at the University
of Saltillo in Mexico.
No services are being held for Eastin, but a memorial “celebration
of life” is scheduled for 3 p.m. Feb. 6 at GCC. In lieu of flowers,
a scholarship is being arranged through the Maricopa Foundation, which
provides scholarships for students to attend community colleges.
Maricopa County Superintendent Sandra Dowling will select a candidate
to fill Eastin’s position on the board, following a public response
period, which ended at 5 p.m. Jan. 28, and gave Maricopa County residents
an opportunity to submit qualifications and resumes.
Eight applicants expressed interest in the position – Gerald Cuendet,
Randolph Lumm, Sharon Clover, Jarret Sharp, Martin Samaniego, Debra Raeder,
Thomas Lopez and W. Scott Crowley. All candidates have held various leadership
positions in the community and are involved in education issues.
Each applicant will be interviewed before a panel, and the results will
be sent to Dowling, who will appoint someone to fill the position until
the next general election in November, when Maricopa voters will elect
a candidate to a six-year term.
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