Shouts of “Go Beach!” filled the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid at Cal State Long Beach on Friday morning, Jan. 17, as the community said goodbye to late CSULB President Bob Maxson.
More than 400 guests cheered and applauded at The Pointe conference center inside the Pyramid as speakers paid tribute to Maxson, 89, who died Sept. 22 at his home in Anacortes, in the San Juan Islands near Seattle.
Maxson brought Cal State Long Beach into national prominence when he was president of the university from 1994 to 2006.
In his opening remarks, current CSULB President Andrew Jones described Maxson as an upbeat, enthusiastic, big-hearted leader — “our greatest cheerleader.” He also coined the nicknam, “The Beach” and the catchphrase, “Go Beach.”
“He changed the way we talk about the university and how we feel about it,” Jones said. “There is a sense of sadness here today, but there also is a great sense of gratitude for all that he did for the community.”
U.S. Representative Robert Garcia returns to his alma mater to honor the late, former California State University Long Beach President Robert Maxson, on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
Bill Shumard, former executive athletics director at California State University Long Beach, honors Dr. Robert Maxson at a celebration of life on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, on the school’s campus. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
Valerie Bordeaux, the founding director of the President’s Scholars Program at Cal State Long Beach, honors Dr. Robert Maxson at a celebration of life on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, on the Long Beach campus. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
Guests attend a celebration of life for Dr. Robert Maxson on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, at Cal State Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
Suzie Price, who served as Cal State University of Long Beach Associated Student President from 1994-95, pays tribute to the late, former CSULB President Robert Maxson with his trademark “Go Beach!”, on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, at the Pyramid in Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
Current Cal State University President Andrew Jones honors Dr. Robert Maxson at a celebration of life on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, at the Pyramid in Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
Dr. Robert Maxson is honored at a celebration of life on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, at Cal State Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
U.S. Representative Robert Garcia returns to his alma mater to honor the late, former Cal State University of Long Beach President Robert Maxson, on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, at the Pyramid in Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
Kimberly Maxson-Rushton, daughter of Dr. Robert Maxson, honors her father’s legacy during a celebration of life on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, at the Pyramid in Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
Kimberly Maxson-Rushton, daughter of Dr. Robert Maxson, honors her father’s legacy during a celebration of life on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, at the Pyramid in Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
Dr. Todd Maxson, son of Dr. Robert Maxson, honors his father during a celebration of life on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, at the Pyramid in Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
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U.S. Representative Robert Garcia returns to his alma mater to honor the late, former California State University Long Beach President Robert Maxson, on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
An outpouring of accolades and remembrances followed, with remarks by speakers representing the university, alumni and Maxson’s family.
Rep. Robert Garcia, a former mayor of Long Beach and president of the student body at Cal State Long Beach when Maxson was president there, said to loud applause: “No one has done more to impact this campus than Bob Maxson. He was magic.”
Garcia said, when he was a freshman, Maxson told him two important things that have stayed with him his entire life.
“He said, ‘If the only education you get is in the classroom, then you haven’t really received a college education,’” Garcia said. “From then on, I got involved in student affairs and then community affairs after I graduated.
“The other thing Bob said was, ‘You can will yourself to be happy,’” Garcia added. “There’s no lesson I’ve learned better than that in dealing with issues.”
Bill Shumard, former athletics director at Cal State Long Beach, said Maxson changed lives.
“It’s heartwarming,” he said, “to look out among the audience and recognize so many familiar faces of people whose lives were forever changed because of knowing Dr. Robert C. Maxson.”
Shumard told a story about a phone call he had with Maxson after the former president had been slowed by a debilitating stroke and the effects of cancer on his wife, Sylvia, were becoming more pronounced.
“I’ll never forget what he told me,” Shumard said. “’Well, Bill,’ he said in that charming Southern draw, ‘We don’t get out much nowadays because of our health issues, so we just sit in our living room and watch the ships go by … and flirt with each other.’”
Shumard shared one last memory about the time he asked Maxson if he remembered his initial strategy in establishing a new culture at CSULB that led to so much success.
“He told me, ‘Bill, when you take over the leadership of an organization, you have to decide whether it needs a good, swift kick in the (pants) or does it need a hug,’” Shumard recalled. “‘Long Beach State just needed a big ‘ol hug.’ His methods were so simple; they were brilliant.”
Suzie Price, former Long Beach councilmember and now senior assistant Orange County district attorney, remembered Maxson’s influence on her when she was CSULB’s associated students president in 1994.
“Something transformative happened when he set foot on campus,” Price said. “It’s like we were electrified, like we woke up. He gave us a sense of pride. We went from a commuter school to a community school.
“He was my first true mentor,” Price added. “He taught me to stand up for what I believed in and not be afraid of failure. He made me push my comfort zones. He inspired me and was such a gift to all of us.”
Valerie Bordeaux, founding director of the President’s Scholars Program, which started with Maxson, said the former president was a visionary in bringing outstanding students to the university.
“The scholars program was a premier program and made CSULB a more competitive choice with the best students,” Bordeaux said. “Bob Maxson was for students first, last and always.”
Family members, including Maxson’s daughter, Kimberly Maxson-Rushton, an attorney in Las Vegas, and son, Todd Maxson, a pediatric surgeon in Arkansas, also spoke.
Maxson-Rushton thanked everyone for their “extraordinary compassion and support during this time of loss.”
She said her father’s devotion to CSULB was unmistakable.
“I’m certain he attended a university function or event almost every day of his presidency,” she said. “He believed deeply in the mission of Cal State Long Beach and the people who worked to maintain and promote it. Whether you were a student, faculty member or member of the staff, he likely knew your name, your field of study or your role on campus. He valued people. To him, character mattered more than credentials.
“Our parents believed that the great gift in life is friendship,” Maxson-Rushton added at the end of her remarks. “They honored it. They nurtured it. And they were deeply grateful for yours. Go Beach!”
Todd Maxson, meanwhile, described how his father was the happiest he had ever been when he became president of Cal State Long Beach.
“One time, he called me and told me to be at his office at 11:45,” he said. “He had a twinkle in his eyes when we walked across the campus. It was like going somewhere with a rock star. He greeted everyone. It was his midday charge. He loved being among students.”
Todd said his father was “a force multiplier for good. He helped thousands of people.”
In closing the tribute, Jones, the current CSULB president, thanked Maxson.
“Dr. Maxson helped make Cal State Long Beach what it is today,” Jones said. “Thank you, Bob, for your life, your heart and your leadership.”
The crowd greeted that with applause — and a loud, “Go Beach!