Frank Wein, a lecturer in the urban & regional planning department at Cal Poly Pomona and a leader in his profession, died Jan. 24. He was 59.

Wein was as one of the nation’s most respected urban and environmental planners, holding leadership positions in various professional planning associations. He served for four years as the California Chapter-APA president and for eight years as president of the California Planning Foundation.

In 1992, Wein received the APA’s Distinguished Service Award and was in the first group of 43 planners elected from throughout the country as a Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners (FAICP) in 1999.

Wein joined Cal Poly Pomona in 1989 as an adjunct faculty member and taught in the urban & regional planning department for 18 years.

“We’ve lost one of our real giants — so many haven been privileged to have known him as a friend and colleague, seen his dedication to his profession and his communities,” says W. Paul Farmer, CEO of the American Planning Association and the American Institute of Certified Planners.

“Frank was 100 percent devoted to the cause of advancing California planning and planners, and was a role model for planning leadership for many decades,” says Al Herson, former president of the California chapter of the American Planning Association and former president of the California Planning Roundtable.

Wein received his bachelor’s degree in urban studies from CSU Northridge and a master’s of planning from USC in 1975.

He is survived by his wife, Sandy. Services were held Jan. 25 at Mount Sinai Cemetery in Los Angeles.