Frank Martinez, former president of Cuesta College, dies at 98
A former founding member of Cuesta College died on Sunday.
Frank R. Martinez served as the second president of the community college, which has campuses in San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles and Arroyo Grande. He was 98 years old.
As vice president and assistant superintendent, Martinez developed the first curriculum and hired the founding faculty for Cuesta College during its inception in 1964.
He “set the course of the growth and development of the college,” Jill Stearns, Cuesta College’s current superintendent and president, wrote Monday in a note to employees about Martinez’s death.
“Those firsts included hiring the first staff member, Elaine Coats, the hiring of an up-and-coming football coach, now Superintendent/President Emeritus, Dr. Gil Stork, and purchasing the land for the San Luis Obispo campus,” Stearns wrote.
Martinez became Cuesta College’s second president and superintendent in 1977, which he held until his retirement in 1988.
A new instructional building was named after Martinez in 2018 and unveiled as the Dr. Frank Martinez Building in a naming ceremony in May 2019.
“Dr. Martinez’s imprint is evident in every facet of this great institution. He was a true pioneer of the college,” Stearns wrote. “He shared a wealth of history, passion, and stewardship for Cuesta College. He was an outstanding mentor, friend, and advocate for students.”
The Cuesta College board of trustees is “deeply saddened” by the loss of Martinez, board president Pete Sysak told The Tribune on Monday.
“He was like the father to everyone, guiding his children to a successful career,” Sysak said.
Gilbert “Gil” Stork, who served as Cuesta College’s president and superintendent from 2010 to 2018, said he will miss Martinez and his incredible leadership he bestowed upon the community, colleagues and friends.
“I’m so grateful that I had the amount of years and the number of conversations with him that I did,” Stork said. “It really was a gift ... He took me under his wing and became a significant mentor in my life.”
Before his time at Cuesta College, Martinez was a history teacher at Citrus High School and Citrus College just northeast of Los Angeles.
Martinez was born in San Francisco in 1921 to a Nicaraguan immigrant, Frank, and his mother, Caroline, whose father immigrated from Austria.
Martinez served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1943 to 1946 and was stationed in the Pacific Ocean theater during World War II.
Martinez received a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Redlands in 1947, a master’s degree in history from the University of Southern California in 1953 and a doctorate in education from USC in 1963.
In March 1951, Martinez married his wife, Lois, in Glendora. The two were together for 59 years before Lois’s death in 2010.
Martinez is survived by his four children: Larry Martinez of Santa Barbara, Jay Martinez of Walnut Creek, Mark Martinez of San Luis Obispo and Barbara Martinez of Morro Bay, as well as two grandchildren, Julian and Lulu Martinez.
His family has asked that, in lieu of flowers or gifts, donations be made in Martinez’s honor to the Frank and Lois Martinez President’s Scholarship Endowment Fund at Cuesta College.
“On behalf of our father, we would like to express immense gratitude to the Cuesta College family and the San Luis Obispo community for the volume of love and support shown to him throughout his 56 years of involvement here,” Martinez’s family wrote in a statement Tuesday. “His life was blessed to have the opportunity to participate and serve others in the growth of the community and area, creating tremendous joy in his life.
“It is our hope that his local involvement will enable others to continue accomplishing what was most important to him, the chance to experience what he defined as traits of the spirit of education – curiosity, pursuit of knowledge, and respect for others.”
