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| English Professor Emeritus Samuel Bellman |
English Professor Emeritus Samuel Bellman, a longtime faculty member, died July 23 at age 82.
A faculty member from 1957 to 1996, Bellman was one of the founding members of the English & Foreign Language Department and taught American literature.
Susana Hernandez Araico, professor emerita of Spanish, described Bellman as a pillar of the department and a personal mentor, especially when she joined the department in 1972. “He opened my eyes to my academic progress. He was the first one to encourage me to take off on my professional development.”
Although he taught American literature, Bellman was interested in other languages and literature from other countries, according to Araico.
“Even before multiculturalism became popular, he was already including Latin American literature in his English classes,” she says. “He was always trying to introduce new materials to the classroom, new materials that added an international and multicultural dimension. He enriched his classes with his great knowledge of art and music. His deep appreciation of American culture branched out to embrace the world.”
Bellman received his master's degree at Wayne State University and his doctorate at Ohio State University. Prior to Cal Poly Pomona, he taught at Fresno State and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. During his career, he served as editor for the essay anthologies “The College Experience” and “Survey and Forecast.” He published widely and read numerous research papers at national and international conferences. The TWAYNE series published his biographies on American authors Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings and Constance Rourke.
Bellman is survived by his wife, Jeanne Lisker Bellman, and sons Joel and Jonathan.