{"id":391,"date":"2025-10-13T03:49:13","date_gmt":"2025-10-13T03:49:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/391\/"},"modified":"2025-10-13T03:49:13","modified_gmt":"2025-10-13T03:49:13","slug":"bob-maxson-told-everyone-to-go-beach-press-telegram","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/391\/","title":{"rendered":"Bob Maxson told everyone to \u2018Go Beach\u2019 \u2013 Press Telegram"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was impossible to resist Bob Maxson when he came up to you with that huge smile of his, said your name in his Arkansas drawl and told you to \u201cGo Beach!\u201d<\/p>\n

That was the unique signature greeting of Maxson, who brought Cal State Long Beach into national prominence when he was president of the university from 1994 to 2006. Maxson became the fifth president after Curtis McCray retired in 1994.<\/p>\n

Maxson\u2019s smile and hearty greeting was stilled when he died Sept. 22 at his home in Anacortes in the San Juan Islands near Seattle, Washington. He was 89. Maxson fell at his home and had to be hospitalized, where he developed pneumonia. He returned home, where he died, according to his daughter, Kimberly Maxson-Rushton, an attorney in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n

Cal State Long Beach will forever be with him as he was buried, at his request, in his favorite black CSULB sweater with the words \u201cGo Beach\u201d stitched on, his daughter said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy father just loved Long Beach \u2014 the university, especially the students, faculty and administrators \u2014 and the community,\u201d Maxson-Rushton said.<\/p>\n

She said a decision on a memorial celebration was pending.<\/p>\n

When Maxson left Long Beach in 2006, he wrote in a statement: \u201cI take The Beach with me wherever I go, in-state or out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I travel, I proudly wear a cap or a shirt that lets people know where I\u2019m from \u2014 The Beach,\u201d he wrote. \u201cI am not a graduate of this university, though I might as well be. My love for this campus and its wonderful people runs deep, and I like to show that to the world! I love this place!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Misty<\/p>\n

Misty May, star player on the 1998 women\u2019s volleyball championship team, and CSULB President Robert Maxson. (Courtesy of the Maxson family)\n<\/p>\n

\"In<\/p>\n

In 2002, Stephen Spielberg finally earned his degree from CSULB in a special ceremony with university President Robert Maxson. (Courtesy of the Maxson family)\n<\/p>\n

\"In<\/p>\n

In an undated photo, then President Bill Clinton, left, and then Long Beach Mayor Beverly O\u2019Neill, center, are greeted by CSULB President Robert Maxson. (Courtesy of the Maxson family)\n<\/p>\n

\"In<\/p>\n

In 1994, CSULB President Robert Maxson walks the campus with a can of his favorite beverage, Diet Coke, greeting students. He had an uncanny ability to remember everyone\u2019s names. (Courtesy of CSULB)\n<\/p>\n

\"In<\/p>\n

In an undated photo, former CSULB President Robert Maxson and his wife, Sylvia, stand on Maxson Plaza on the CSULB campus, which was named in their honor. (Courtesy of CSULB)\n<\/p>\n

\"Columnist<\/p>\n

Columnist Rich Archbold, left, and Bob Maxson attend a reception before the 2001 Grand Prix of Long Beach. (Photo courtesy of Rich Archbold)\n<\/p>\n

\"In<\/p>\n

In 1994, CSULB President Robert Maxson, with his arms around two students on the left, and then student body President Robert Garcia, right, promote the Beach nickname. (Courtesy of CSULB)\n<\/p>\n

\"Brian<\/p>\n

Brian Gimmillaro, coach of the 1998 women\u2019s volleyball championship team, and CSULB President Bob Maxson celebrate the team\u2019s victory. (Courtesy of Rich Archbold)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 8<\/p>\n

Misty May, star player on the 1998 women\u2019s volleyball championship team, and CSULB President Robert Maxson. (Courtesy of the Maxson family)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

An outpouring of accolades and remembrances followed the news of Maxson\u2019s death.<\/p>\n

Rep. Robert Garcia, a former mayor of Long Beach, was president of the student body at Cal State Long Beach when Maxson was president there.<\/p>\n

\u201cBob Maxson was the best mentor I\u2019ve ever had,\u201d Garcia, D-Long Beach, told me. \u201cHis impact on students and the university is unmatched.\u201d<\/p>\n

Garcia said he and Maxson had remained friends.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe continued to give me great advice and his thoughts on the country and the world,\u201d Garcia said. \u201cWe spoke just a few months ago. I\u2019m so grateful for his leadership and kindness.\u00a0 Go Beach.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jane Conoley, who has just retired after 11 years as CSULB president, said Maxson was \u201csuper positive about students and the campus and started the trajectory that took the university from a regional university to a national one. He got people to be really proud of the school, and he worked to attract the best of the best students to attend here.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2014, Maxson had returned to the campus to introduce Garcia, then the new Long Beach mayor who was making his first major policy speech on education.<\/p>\n

In her opening remarks at the event, Conoley, who was just in her fourth day as the university\u2019s newest president, brought a smile to Maxson\u2019s face when she said: \u201cStand back, Harvard and Yale. The Beach is now in the room!\u201d<\/p>\n

Andrew Jones, the current CSULB interim president while the university is looking for a permanent successor to Conoley, said in a statement that Maxson\u2019s loss was a personal one for many of the staff and faculty who worked at the university.<\/p>\n

\u201cI worked with Bob in my role as university counsel, and I was delighted to hear from him again, just a couple of weeks ago, when he reached out,\u201d Jones said, \u201cas gracious and enthusiastic as ever, to offer his congratulations and support as I began my new role.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jones also reminded everyone that it was Maxson \u201cwho came up with \u2018The Beach\u2019 and \u2018Go Beach\u2019 \u2014 terms that forever changed how people on and beyond campus think and talk about our university.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Maxson arrived in Long Beach, he discovered that the name of the university here was a mouthful, with some favoring California State University, Long Beach, or Cal State Long Beach, with many in the sports community favoring Long Beach State University.<\/p>\n

Maxson felt like something more succinct would work better. He discovered that the word \u2014 \u201cbeach\u201d \u2014 was not used in the names of any major universities, so, he reasoned, why not call CSULB \u201cThe Beach\u201d? He worked to put \u201cThe Beach\u201d and \u201cGo Beach\u201d on as many locations on campus, including the bottom of the swimming pool and as high as the water tower by the VA hospital. It caught on with sports teams and spread throughout the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the nickname has a special draw,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He also would talk about how the nickname made students feel better about themselves, \u201ckind of like a big hug.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGo Beach became sort of a cheer,\u201d he said once, \u201cbut it expanded beyond the sports programs. It was an attitude and was more than a sports cheer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maxson was also famous for his almost magical way to remember names.<\/p>\n

Marcelle Epley, now CEO of the Long Beach Community Foundation, told me the story of her first accidental meeting with Maxson when she was a beginning student at CSULB.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had my face planted in my schedule in front of the bookstore when I heard this booming Southern accent voice coming from behind a man with a large smile,\u201d Epley recalled. \u201cIt was President Maxson making his rounds on campus, shouting at me, \u2018Hey, Marcelle! Make it a great first day!\u2019 How he knew my name that day has me still wondering 25 years later.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs I got to know him, until I received his gripping handshake at graduation, I realized he loved students and the entire campus,\u201d she added. \u201cHe was exactly where he wanted to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

In earlier interviews, Maxson told me that he worked at remembering names, knowing how important names were to people.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne thing I would do,\u201d he said, \u201cis repeat someone\u2019s name over and over in my mind after I met them so I would be better able to remember it later.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maxson\u2019s achievements were many, Jone said, but perhaps the most significant and transformative were his efforts to make student success the central strategic goal of the university.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe made a lasting and singular impact,\u201d Jones said, \u201cand it is no exaggeration to say that his optimism and exuberance have helped to define our campus character.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 1995, Maxson started the President\u2019s Scholars Program to provide full tuition, fees, books, campus housing and other benefits to high school valedictorians and National Merit scholars. As Maxson hoped, the program attracted many outstanding students.<\/p>\n

Maxson was the first California State University president to receive the California State Student Association\u2019s University President of the Year Award. Those wins became so frequent that student leaders eventually retired his name from consideration and renamed their award the Robert C. Maxson President of the Year Award in his honor, Jones said.<\/p>\n

Maxson also had just started as CSULB president when the Pyramid, now called the Mike and Arline Walter Pyramid, opened, a multimillion-dollar sporting arena rising 18 stories high and seating 5,000. Also, in 1994, CSULB officially opened the Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center.<\/p>\n

These different initiatives changed the reputation of CSULB of being a commuter and heavily part-time student school, Maxson said.<\/p>\n

Maxson was an optimistic, positive person who liked to talk about how he worked at \u201cwatering the green spots,\u201d looking for ways to support programs and projects that were doing well but needed more support.<\/p>\n

As a sports enthusiast, Maxson also spent a lot of time cheering on all the Long Beach State teams, including the 1998 women\u2019s volleyball team, coached by Brian Gimmillaro, that was undefeated and won the national championship. The star of the team was Misty May \u2014 who went on to win Olympic gold medals.<\/p>\n

Dan Gooch, a longtime officer with the Long Beach Century Club, the city\u2019s premier sports club, remembered when students put a photo of Maxson on 1,000 ping-pong paddles and brought them out to surprise Maxson at a game at the Pyramid.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe loved telling students to support their sports teams,\u201d Gooch said. \u201cHe said if they did, he would sit with them for the first half of games and then sit with his wife for the second half.\u00a0 He was always looking for ways to help students.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maxson is the only person in the history of the Century Club to be named an honorary member because of his support of sports, Gooch said.<\/p>\n

Another highlight during Maxson\u2019s tenure was giving a degree to one-time student and successful movie director Stephen Spielberg in 2002. The university accepted Spielberg\u2019s award winning film, \u201cSchindler\u2019s List,\u201d as meeting the film school degree requirements for graduation.<\/p>\n

Maxson was born Robert Clinton Maxson in 1936 in Watson, Arkansas. His mother was a school teacher, and his father worked for the railroad in an engineering position.<\/p>\n

He began his career as a high school English teacher before receiving his doctorate and going into higher education, where he spent 28 years as a university president, serving at the University of Houston-Victoria, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and Cal State Long Beach.<\/p>\n

After he left Long Beach, he and his wife, Sylvia Parrish Maxson, moved to the small town of Anacortes in the San Juan Islands in Washington. But he was lured out of retirement when he accepted the position as president of Sierra Nevada College, a small liberal arts school in Incline Village, Nevada, from 2007 to 2010.<\/p>\n

After returning to Anacortes with his wife, Maxson won election to the school board there.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy father loved his wife so deeply,\u201d his daughter said. \u201cThey were married for 60 years before she passed away in 2023 after suffering from cancer. My father was buried next to my mother. Their tombstone has the sweetest words etched. On my mother\u2019s side, it reads, \u201cSylvia Loves Bobby.\u201d On my father\u2019s side, the etching reads, \u201cBobby Loves Sylvia.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sylvia Maxson was also a highly regarded educator. She retired as a professor of early childhood education at CSULB and was a strong supporter of the university, and its students and programs. She founded the Reading Institute there.<\/p>\n

The Maxson Plaza at CSULB is named after the couple. They have two children \u2014 Kimberly Maxson-Rushton in Las Vegas and Todd Maxson, a pediatric surgeon in Arkansas \u2014 and five grandchildren.<\/p>\n

Maxson\u2019s daughter said the final days with her father were bittersweet and beautiful at the same time.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe held hands and talked about many things \u2014 his love for his wife and family, his love of sports, his love of life. He was totally lucid,\u201d she said. \u201cLosing your father is not easy, but I couldn\u2019t imagine a better way of saying goodbye.\u201d<\/p>\n

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