President Paul F. Romberg and Dr. Donald Garrity with Family and Visitor, San Francisco State University

Paul Romberg. President of San Francisco State University 1973-1983. BS and Ph.D. University of Nebraska. Founding President of CSU, Bakersfield. The first administrator to be President of two Universities in the CSU System. Retired in 1983.Upon his retirement in 1983, Romberg devoted much of his time to developing the Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies facility. The Center is the only academic research facility located in one of the largest estuaries on the West Coast of the United States. Romberg was a specialist in botany and genetics, and taught biology in the Midwest before joining the California State University System as an administrator in 1961. Romberg became the thirteenth president of San Francisco State University in 1973 and masterminded the construction of a two-building Science Complex, established a long-range planning commission that produced a ten-year plan for the University. Although he was remembered as a scholar, a World War II fighter pilot, Romberg was most proud of his role in acquiring the federal site in Tiburon for San Francisco State University. On May 5, 1985, the Paul F. Romberg Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies was dedicated shortly after his death. President Ronald Reagan sent Rose Romberg a letter stating, “San Francisco, the Golden State, and America as a whole were greatly enriched by Romberg and his life’s work.” A scholarship was established in his name, and his widow Rose Romberg carried on his vision until her death in 2000. 

Dr. Donald L. Garrity was a distinguished sociologist and administrator who began his career at San Francisco State University (SFSU) in 1956 as an assistant professor of sociology. Rising quickly through the ranks, he became Chair of the Sociology Department in 1961 and was appointed Vice President for Academic Affairs in 1966. Garrity played a central role during one of the most challenging periods in SFSU’s history—the late 1960s student protests—working closely with Presidents John Summerskill and S.I. Hayakawa. In 1975, he was named Provost by President Paul Romberg, symbolizing his leadership role in guiding the university’s academic direction.Beyond campus, Garrity was deeply engaged in public service. He served on local and national panels, advised crime commissions, participated in educational initiatives, and was active in anti-poverty efforts. Internationally, he was honored by the Liberian government for his role in developing the Monrovia Consolidated School System, one of several SFSU-led global education projects. Garrity also contributed to conferences and symposia on urban planning, corrections, and education, reflecting his broad expertise in sociology and criminology.In 1978, Garrity left SFSU to become President of Central Washington University, where he served for 13 years until his retirement in 1991. During his tenure, he established international exchange programs with Japanese universities and significantly expanded the university’s foundation endowment. Dr. Garrity passed away in 1994 at the age of 67. He is remembered as a principled, dynamic leader who left a lasting legacy in both higher education and public service.

Credits: Paul Romberg's bio and Dr. Donald Garrity's bio were provided by Meredith Eliassen and some descriptions were developed with the assistance of ChatGPT, an AI language model by OpenAI.