A video tribute may be viewed at 'In memory of President Emeritus Albert Karnig.'
Family, alumni, current and former administrators, and members of the local community paid tribute to Cal State San Bernardino President Emeritus Albert K. Karnig at a memorial service at the university’s Coussoulis Arena on May 11.
That the gathering attended by about 800 people took place at the arena was appropriate, said Marilyn Karnig, Dr. Karnig’s wife of 53 years. “This place, this arena, this university was so important to Al,” she said. “And it just seemed right that this is where we hold his memorial service.”
Dr. Karnig, who died May 4, served as the university’s third president from 1997 until his retirement in 2012. Speakers remembered him for his passion for education and as a man who wanted to make the most of his life by serving others, known for his knack of remembering names and freely giving bear hugs.
David DeMauro, vice president emeritus of Administration and Finance, recounted the growth the campus experienced during Dr. Karnig’s tenure, both in enrollment, which increased from about 13,000 to 18,000, and in physical space with the addition of new buildings and the construction of the Palm Desert Campus. And with Marilyn Karnig and the community, he was able to increase CSUSB’s scholarship endowment from $9 million to $24 million, DeMauro said.
“As I stand and look at the audience here today — Marilyn’s probably going to be angry at me for saying this — but if Al was standing here, he would be thinking, ‘What a wonderful fundraising opportunity,’” DeMauro said, drawing laughter from the audience.
CSUSB President Tomás D. Morales recalled meeting Dr. Karnig in 2001, not long after he was appointed provost and vice president of academic affairs at Cal Poly Pomona. Morales caught a ride back to Pomona with Dr. Karnig after a meeting at the Chancellor’s Office in Long Beach, and during the two-hour trip Morales said Dr. Karnig imparted his counsel, advice and mentoring on what it would take to become a university president.
Morales remarked on the coincidence that two New Yorkers — Dr. Karnig was born in Queens, and Morales grew up in the Bronx — would find themselves leading CSUSB.
“The Cal State San Bernardino I inherited from Al Karnig was, and is, an amazing place,” Morales said. “I am eternally grateful for his incredible legacy that continues to energize and inspire.”
Dale Marsden, a CSUSB alumnus and current superintendent of the San Bernardino City Unified School District, recalled walking across the stage at the 1998 commencement after he completed his graduate degree. He said Dr. Karnig had a way of being fully present for each graduate as they were greeted with a handshake.
Marsden talked about Dr. Karnig’s involvement after his retirement with the Infant-Toddler Success program, which provides free parenting classes for parents of children 0 to 36 months. Dr. Karnig wanted to provide a way to level the playing field for all children, both in the Inland Empire and beyond, to give them a chance to succeed in life.
“Next to his family, this was his greatest passion,” his heart and his lasting legacy, Marsden said. “Al left us too quickly. But if you pay attention, you’ll feel his big bear hug and hear his heart beat long after our sorrows fade.”
Todd Karnig, the eldest son, said his father saw education as path for him, and others, to something better as well as acknowledging the support and encouragement from family he received along the way.
“He came to think of himself as the product of what is really great about the American education system,” Todd Karnig said. “It made him a true believer in the value of education, and it’s what made him so passionate about making sure others got their opportunity.”
Middle son Eric told of how Dr. Karnig was at home: an involved father and grandfather. And he was competitive, as competitive as a 20 year old. Whatever the activity, even when handing one of his granddaughters a sound defeat in Monopoly, “you would only get his A-game,” Eric Karnig said. “It also meant that you got all of him.”
Added youngest son Brent, “We feel cheated out of the rest of our time with Al, with dad, with grandpa. But we don’t feel slighted with the time he was with us. Dad gave everything he had. My mom knows she got 53 wonderful years from a man who loved and adored her.
“He filled the rest of our lives with love, strength and wisdom,” Brent Karnig said. “The pain of his death will last for many of us. But our memories of him will last. His legacy will last. His love for all of us will last.”