Stephen “Steve” Lehigh, an English lecturer at Cal State San Bernardino remembered as an intellectually gifted teacher and generous colleague, died in an accident while camping on the East Coast.
An obituary published by The Salt Lake (Utah) Tribune said Lehigh, 51, died while camping in West Virginia.
Lehigh had taught in CSUSB’s Department of English and the College of Arts and Letters’ CAL/HUM program since 2004.
He earned a doctorate from the University of Utah, where he specialized in 19th-century British literature. At the university, Lehigh taught lower- and upper-division general education classes and courses for English majors.
His subjects included digital humanities and arts, environmental literature, global literatures, Native American literatures, diversity literature and social justice, and Shakespeare. He also developed special-topics courses, including Literature and Psychoanalysis, that reflected his broad intellectual interests.
Lehigh was a pioneer of CourseMatch, the California State University system’s cross-campus online enrollment program. His online courses served students beyond his department and college and helped establish a high standard for instruction across the CSU system.
Students described Lehigh as passionate, organized, clear and eager to help. They valued his ability to challenge them intellectually and the thoughtful feedback he offered to help them develop as writers and thinkers.
One student praised his ability to “stimulate the mind into a deeper realm of thought.” Another, reflecting on his recorded online lectures, wrote, “If he had a podcast, I would listen to it just to hear his thoughts on all things.”
Colleagues remembered Lehigh for his intellect, teaching ability, kindness and generosity. His death is mourned by his family, loved ones, friends, students, colleagues and members of the campus community.
He is survived by his partner, Nicole Davis; his sons, Connor and Quinn; his nephew, Kurt Ells; Nicole's son, Tyler Davis; his mother, Holly Lehigh; his stepfather, Jeff Davis, who loved him as a son; and his grandmother, Bobbie Lehigh.