Edward Karabenick, Ph.D.

From Judith Tyner (chair of Geography in the late 1980s to mid 1990s and a young faculty member in the late 1960s whom Ed mentored): "When I first came to the department in 1968, we didn't have single person offices. I shared an office with Ed. He acted as mentor, answering questions (many of them dumb), and basically teaching me how to be a university faculty member. He was always gracious and helpful. When I became chair, I knew I could always count on him to take on any task I asked and always give insightful advice...I knew Ed for over 50 years!"

From Richard Outwater (chair of geography in the late 1990s whose career substantially overlapped Ed's): "Sorry to hear this news. Ed was a constant in the department the whole time I was there. Molly and I share good feelings about our many great times we shared with him."

From Joel Splansky (chair of Geography in the early 2000s): "Ed was a very decent and warm person and his loss brings sadness to Ruth and me. Ed was already a faculty member when I was hired and we got along well."

From Frank Gossette (professor whose career overlapped Ed's and operator of the most innovative "stealth" Study Abroad program here! He and a colleague in Austria, Thomas Blaschke, co-taught GIS classes. Each university's semester was about three weeks offset from the other. Austrian students would come here in early spring and spend a couple of weeks in our class, staying with their American colleagues. Then, at the end of the semester, the American students had to go to Austria and work and stay with their colleagues there to get the automatic "Incomplete" grade resolved): "I remember the great reception Ed got from our visiting Austrian students (two groups), where he impressed them all with his knowledge and language skills, including local dialects! They thought that was sooooo cool. He was a man of many talents, for sure..."

From Chrys Rodrigue (chair of Geography when Ed retired): "I had transferred from CSU Chico to CSULB shortly after learning from Jim Jessee (a Jewish genealogist there) that la famille Rodrigue was descended from a Converso (forcibly converted Jew) from Lisbon. Ed was very interested in how I was processing this sudden rearrangement of my sense of identity and drew me out about it. He shared that he'd learned that part of his own Ashkenazi family originated from Khazars, a Turkic group caught between Christians and Muslims and their conflicts in the Ukraine and Central Asia, many of whom converted to Judaism in the ninth century. We would often talk about all these small groups that had odd connections to Judaism. I remember these as illuminating and I remember him as a very kind, curious, and gentle spirit."

From Vincent Del Casino (immediate past chair of Geography in the late 2000s and current Provost, San José State University): "I am sorry to hear that Ed has passed. I can't believe it has been nearly 20 years since he fully retired. He was such a strong figure in the department even after his stroke - that he came back to complete his FERP after the stroke was very impressive to me. He loved teaching and his students."

From Paul Laris (current chair of Geography): "I only knew Ed briefly, but he made an impression on me. My first year was his last and we had adjacent offices. I was most struck by how he felt that faculty at CSULB had the best career anyone could have. He was very encouraging to me. I would tell him about my bad teaching days and he would say, "Ah, Paul, I am not worried about you, you will do fine. It is a great job!" He put things, including my rough days, in perspective. He also told me a bit about what it was like teaching here in the 'early days.' I think he said that the Department was in a hotel in its first years! He loved being on campus -- he is the only one I know who FERPed by taking 1/2 load each semester. When he retired we gave him gift certificates to the Chartroom because he liked to walk over for lunch. I think I will be thinking about Ed when I get to the point he was at when I met him ... when I am sharing an office with a newbie."

From Suzanne Wechsler (current director of the M.S. GIS degree program): "I was fortunate to have been a colleague of Ed’s for a short time at CSU Long Beach in the Department of Geography. I started in fall of 2000. I have fond memories of his welcoming me to the Department and continued interest in my success as a young faculty member. When he retired, he asked me to move into his office. My assigned office was on the 2nd floor, tucked away down a dark hallway. He thought his office would be safer for me. I always appreciated that kindness. I missed his visits to campus to have lunch in the Chart Room which he would do regularly after his retirement. BDE Dr. Karabenik. May your memory be for a blessing."

From Dmitrii Sidorov (whose career overlapped Ed's): "When I just arrived in the area, Professor Karabenick kindly gave me a tour of Long Beach. He brought me to a Russian restaurant somewhere on the edge of downtown and we had authentic pirozhki and, I guess, Russian fermented drink (kvas). I inherited a lot of his Russia-related textbooks and find them increasingly valuable. I recall Professor Karabenick's quirky sense of humor and the always-present smile. Very sad that he is gone."

From Angela Wranic (lecturer in Geography, whose career overlapped Ed's): "I'm really sorry to hear that. I shared an office with him once he was FERPing. There has always been a real crunch for office space so it looks like he gave his office to Suzanne and then we shared a small office with each having our own desk. I remember him as always being encouraging to me. I remember complaining about having to grade (not a favorite pastime). He said he would take the papers home and relax with a glass of wine while grading. Sounded like some good advice."

From Unna Lassiter (lecturer in Geography, whose career overlapped Ed's): "Ed Karabenick gave me good advice on how to prepare for taking his GEOG 309 course on the Middle East, how to handle difficult political questions. There was no office space for me that particular semester and he had started to FERP...so I was assigned (to share) his office, the one with all his life and family pictures on the wall. Many photos were of his elegant wife and children, family life, and of his many travels. Clearly he had enjoyed a great life. But he told me that, when he arrived at CSULB, most faculty were Scandinavian Americans and that there were very few who were not. Almost no-one else, except for Scandinavian Amaricans, was hired at the faculty and administration level. He was one of two Jewish Americans on campus and he was painfully aware of the racism and hate that had almost prevented his hire. As a Scandinavian American myself, I was shocked and humbled, but he was kind to me and very helpful."

From Chris Lee (Director of the NASA Regional Earth Science Applications Center at CSULB and PI or Co-PI on several major NASA and NSF grants in the Department, who joined our faculty a couple years before Ed's retirement): "So sad to hear about Ed and a bit infuriating to hear the reason. Our interactions were usually brief and our conversations simple, but he always brought a smile to my face. Just thinking about him now makes me smile."

Last revised 03/11/21