By Feminist pioneer, public library advocate, and former College of the Liberal Arts Dean, Dorothy “Dee” Abrahamse died the morning of Nov. 6 at 85 years old.
Abrahamse had spent over 15 years as the dean, until she retired in 2007. Her death was announced to the campus community via email by the current CLA Dean, Deborah Thien.
Described as a role model who championed student success, Laura Kingsford, former Dean of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics said Abrahamse was someone she could turn to when she needed a friend or advice.
Kingsford had the chance to work with Abrahamse starting in the summer of 2003. She said they bonded over the curriculum for general education classes for students.
“Within our two colleges, we were always planning and making sure everything was okay for the courses students have to take, as well as our individual departments,” Kingsford said.
Before becoming a dean, Abrahamse was a history professor at CSULB specializing in the history of the Byzantine Empire. While dean, she played a role in supporting the university’s language, culture and literary programs.
Dorothy “Dee” Abrahamse during her time as the College of Liberal Arts Dean in 2002. Photo Credit: Special Collections & University Archives
Sharon Olson, director of Study Abroad at CSULB, said she met Abrahamse on her first day as a transfer student. Abrahamse encouraged her to enroll in medieval history courses, something Olson did not intend to do.
“I fell in love with the historical time period and took many courses from Dee as an undergraduate and later as a graduate student,” Olson said. “Dee was not only a mentor to me but to many other adult returning women students during the late 1970s and 1980s.”
Olson said Abrahamse encouraged her class to participate in extracurricular activities on campus, including medieval fairs and the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies.
When the history department was in development, Abrahamse paid attention to the budgets and, when she could, approved new hires.
One of these hires, David Shafer, the current chair of the Department of History, noted Abrahamse’s understanding of the department’s needs and commitment to supporting faculty scholarship and research.
“She was nothing but generous and accommodating to us and supportive of our efforts,” Shafer said. “And that’s good because what it [did was] put CSULB on the map.”
Shafer also said Abrahamse supported hosting an international conference on campus, the Western Society for French History.
Beyond the university, Abrahamse was a Long Beach Public Library’s Foundation advocacy team member. Being part of the library’s advocacy team, she fought to prevent the closure of the Billie Jean King Main Library in 2008. She also helped with the plans for opening the Michelle Obama Library in North Long Beach and the remodeling of the Main Library.
“She contributed to countless, yearly city budget discussions opposing cuts to the library budget,” said Long Beach Public Library Foundation’s former Board President Margaret Smith.
Smith said Abrahamse was a very quiet person and not assertive, something Smith found interesting given her roles in academia and being one of the first women to serve in those positions.
“She was very thoughtful, sweet, kind and sort of a funny but very subtle sense of humor,” Smith said.
Abrahamse was also a singer in the Long Beach Camerata Singers ensemble and a member of Carnegie49, the legacy foundation part of the Long Beach Public Library.
Abrahamse’s legacy continues to be felt throughout the Long Beach community and the university, specifically in strengthening the History Department and her focus on student successes.
According to Shafer, a memorial is still pending and will likely not happen this fall semester.
