Gerald H. Meaker

Gerald H. Meaker

Gerald H. Meaker, an author, academic and historian, was born in Los Angeles on August 18, 1926. After serving in the Air Force during WWII he graduated from UCLA Phi Beta Kappa in 1950. He went on to a Ph.D. from USC in 1967. Dr. Meaker's passion was teaching. He spent most of his academic career (1968-80) at Cal State University, Northridge, but also taught at USC, UCLA, Cal State University, Long Beach, and Los Angeles Valley College. Dr. Meaker's book, "The Revolutionary Left in Spain: 1914-1923", was a finalist for the 1975 National Book Award. Dr. Meaker was a longtime resident of Long Beach. He lived on Alamitos Bay, logging many hours on his CAL 25 sailboat. In retirement he continued to write, books in progress included "The Young Hitler: 1889-1933" and "Auschwitz vs. the Gulag." His longtime companion, Charlotte Bradford Hughes, predeceased him in 2007. He is survived by his niece, Lynn Crawford; a nephew and niece-in-law, Ken and Lupita Crawford; and a grand nephew, Kenito Crawford. Dr. Meaker died December 20, 2012 at his home. He was 86. Please sign the guest book at www.presstelegram.com/obits.