Lois Martinez

According to an interview with Lois by the Cuesta Board of Trustees in 1977 when asked what she was most proud of, she replied without hesitation, "My husband and raising a family of four children." Lois was born in April 1928 to Albert and Caroline Weber in Pontiac, Mich. She graduated from the Kingswood-Cranbrook School in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., in 1946.

After attending Scripps College in Claremont, Calif., as a freshman in 1947, Lois returned to Michigan and graduated from Michigan State University in 1950 with a BA degree in political science as a member of Gamma Phi Beta Sorority.

Lured back to California by her sister, Susie, Lois took up a summer job as the concierge at the Manzanita Lake Lodge at Lassen National Park. There she met the bellhop - ex-Marine, Citrus High School and Junior College history teacher, Frank Martinez, who took her orders - not only that summer, but for the rest of her life.

Less than a year after that summer job, Lois and Frank were married at the Cotta Miller Estate in Glendora, CA, on March 16, 1951. In the summer of 1952, they traveled to Europe. Frank remembers this as the time they discovered their love of travel.

In 1964, Frank's recently minted USC doctorate brought an offer to re-join his Citrus College colleague, Dr. Merlin Eisenbise and his wife, June, in the newly created community college district in San Luis Obispo County. Lois and Frank packed up the kids and the family's adored dachshund and moved to the beautiful vistas of San Luis Obispo, whereupon Lois began her multi-decade long support to help nurture and develop Cuesta College.

Later, Frank succeeded Dr. Eisenbise and became Cuesta College's second President-Superintendent. In a role that was all too often overworked and undervalued, Lois contributed in a million different ways to ensure the success of Cuesta College and its efforts to build a new campus, expand its outreach throughout the county and maximize accessibility of its programs to the students and citizens of the Central Coast. Her service included ringing doorbells to campaign for construction bonds, organizing and hosting faculty-staff receptions and attending the myriad events, meetings and social engagements that helped make Cuesta College a crucial component of San Luis Obispo County's educational and cultural environment.

By hosting several international exchange students, Lois was also deeply involved in bringing the world to San Luis Obispo County and the County to the world. She was a long-time member of the League of Women Voters and for over 30 years a leading member of San Luis Obispo High School's German School Committee and American Field Service Committee.

All four of her children attended schools in Germany and other locations throughout the world. She enjoyed the extended summer stays in her beloved adopted hometown of Avalon on Catalina Island, and once the kids had left the nest, the opportunity to travel the world with Frank (this started in the early 1970s and continued until her death in 2010). Lois was at home in the world and the world was at home with her.

Lois is survived by her husband of 59 years, Frank Martinez; sons Dr. Larry Martinez (Dr. Cathy Boggs) of Santa Barbara, Jay Martinez (Terri) of Walnut Creek, Calif., and Mark Martinez of San Luis Obispo; daughter, Barbara Martinez (Steve Schlick) of Morro Bay; two grandchildren Julian and Lulu Martinez; sister, Sue Theiler; and other relatives chiefly in California, Michigan and on the East Coast.

A celebration of her life is planned for 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 7, 2010, in room 5401, at the Student Body Building at Cuesta College. All family friends are invited. In memory of Lois, contributions may be made to the Frank and Lois Martinez President's Scholarship Endowment Fund at Cuesta College.