Obituary

Communications professor dedicated more than 40 years to Cal State Long Beach

By Frances Vega, Staff writer
Published: Thursday, September 11, 2008

As a voice specialist, G. Bruce Loganbill had the opportunity to work with Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Mother of Britain, President Ronald Reagan, the Baroness Philippine de Rothschild of France, and Sarah, the Duchess of York, to name a few.

Loganbill died of heart failure on Aug. 28 at age 74. His death came one day before CSULB's annual convocation, where he was to receive a plaque for 40 years of teaching.

Cal State University Long Beach's department of communications will be holding services in remembrance of G. Bruce Loganbill on Friday, Sept. 12 at noon. The gathering will be held in the department of communications AS-300. Students, friends, and faculty will have the opportunity to share stories about the senior faculty professor.

"He was an institution here, he was loved by students and was an affectionate and giving person. He was one of the reason's I went into graduate school," Timothy Plax, a communications professor, said of his former teacher.

Plax was Loganbill's student when Loganbill first began teaching at CSULB.

"He was an interesting fellow with a great sense of humor and a great performer," Plax added.

Originally from Newton, Kansas, Loganbill received his Ph.D in speech communications at Michigan State University. He majored in oral interpretation and rhetoric, and minored in art history, music vocal performance and communication theory. His teaching career began in 1966 at Cal State University Fresno. Two years later he came to CSULB and stayed in the Cal State system for more than 42 years.

During his time at CSULB, Loganbill made an impact on both students and faculty.

"He was the consummate professor who was always dignified and gracious, always dressed formally, and earned respect continuously simply by his presence and demeanor," said Sharon Downey, the communications department chair.

In 1991, he received the university's "Outstanding Teacher Award" and student evaluations frequently showed how much he was liked. Loganbill consistently received scores of 4.9 or higher on a 5-point scale. He also served as the grand marshal for the school of humanities and the college of liberal arts.

Aside from his achievements as a teacher, Loganbill also succeeded as a writer and performer. In 1976, Loganbill wrote a book titled "The Bases of Voice, Articulation, and Pronunciation." It is currently on its 6th edition and has been translated into Japanese and Chinese.

Loganbill was the last member of his immediate family. His memory will live on with the students and faculty of the communications department.

"He was the most senior faculty in our department and now the mantle has been passed to me," said Nancy Briggs, a communications professor. "Loganbill and I were close as colleagues and always pursued what was best for the students and the department. We always agreed that collegiality and support among faculty was very important."