Gladys "Gail" Mae Fullerton (née Jackson; April 29, 1927 – January 1, 2016) was an academic and university administrator at San Jose State University.
Gail Fullerton | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 21st President of San José State University | |
| In office September 1, 1978 – September 30, 1991 | |
| Preceded by | John H. Bunzel |
| Succeeded by | J. Handel Evans |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Gladys Mae Jackson April 29, 1927 Lincoln, Nebraska |
| Died | January 1, 2016 (aged 88) Coos Bay, Oregon |
| Spouse(s) | Snell Putney (div.) Stanley Fullerton |
| Education | University of Nebraska–Lincoln (BA, MA) University of Oregon (PhD) |
Early life and Education
editGladys Mae Jackson was born in Frontier County, Nebraska, on April 29, 1927. Her family was greatly affected by the Great Depression, which led her to work in factories during World War II to pay for her college education. In 1949, she earned a BA with a double major in English and speech from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. She then earned a master's in sociology in 1950 from the same university. In 1954, she and her husband, Snell Putney, were jointly awarded the University of Oregon's first PhD in sociology.[1][2]
San Jose State University
editFullerton briefly taught at Drake University and Florida State University before arriving at San Jose State University in 1963.[1][3] Her marriage to Putney initially made her ineligible to earn a tenure-track position at the university due to anti-nepotism rules established by then-President John T. Wahlquist, which was rescinded after Walhquist's departure in 1964. In 1972, Fullerton became the dean of graduate studies, in 1977, she became the executive vice president, and on September 1,1978, she was fully promoted to be the university's president.[4] She was San Jose State's first female president, and the second faculty member to be promoted to the presidency (the first being Morris Elmer Dailey in 1900).[5][6]
As president, Fullerton focused on raising graduation rates among student-athletes, and oversaw the construction of the Event Center and the Engineering Building. Fullerton retired from the position on September 30, 1991.[7][6] Towards the end of her presidency, she advocated for the conversion of the roads that ran through San Jose State's campus into paseos, the project finished in 1993 and created the Paseo de César Chávez and the Paseo de San Carlos.[1]
In 2010, she was awarded the status of President Emeritus.
Death
editFullerton died January 1, 2016, in Coos Bay, Oregon.[6][8]
Bibliography
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c San Jose State University (2019-07-21). "Fullerton, Gail Jackson (1927-2016)". Emeritus and Retired Faculty Biographies.
- ^ "History of the Sociology Department | Sociology | Social Sciences". socialsciences.uoregon.edu. Retrieved 2024-07-09.
- ^ "Presidents | History". www.sjsu.edu. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
- ^ San Jose State University, School of Journalism and Mass Communications (1978-08-31). "Spartan Daily, August 31, 1978". Spartan Daily (School of Journalism and Mass Communications). 71 (1).
- ^ "SJSU Remembers Former President Gail Fullerton | SJSU NewsCenter". blogs.sjsu.edu. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
- ^ a b c "Gail Fullerton". The Coos Bay World. 2016-01-06. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
- ^ San Jose State University, School of Journalism and Mass Communications (1991-09-30). "Spartan Daily, September 30, 1991". Spartan Daily (School of Journalism and Mass Communications). 97 (20).
- ^ Group, Eric Kurhi | Bay Area News (2016-01-07). "SJSU's first female president Gail Fullerton dies at 88". The Mercury News. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ Putney, Snell; Putney, Gail J. (1966). The adjusted American; normal neuroses in the individual and society. Internet Archive. New York, Harper & Row.
- ^ Fullerton, Gail Putney (1972). Survival in marriage; introduction to family interaction, conflicts, and alternatives. Internet Archive. New York, Holt, Rinehart and Winston. ISBN 978-0-03-077460-7.