Eugene H. Cota-Robles

Dr. Eugene H. Cota-Robles Former Resident of Santa Cruz 86, passed away peacefully at Edward Hospital, Naperville, Illinois on September 12, 2012 following a brief illness. He was born July 13, 1926 in Nogales, Arizona to Amado and Feliciana Cota-Robles. Dr. Cota-Robles is survived by his beloved wife of 55 years, Gun Cota-Robles, of Naperville, IL. He is also survived by his son Erik Cota-Robles of Mountain View, California and his daughter Feliciana (Jerry) Farran of Naperville, IL. Also surviving him are his six grandchildren: Carl, Maria and Karin Cota-Robles, Vincent Hubner, and Tom and Sam Farran. He is preceded in death by his son Peter Cota-Robles, his parents and all 10 of his siblings. Dr. Cota-Robles spent his childhood in Tucson, AZ and following his 1944 high school graduation enlisted in the U.S. Navy, serving during World War II as a Signalman aboard the heavy cruiser U.S.S. Baltimore in the Pacific. Following his 1946 discharge, he enrolled at the University of Arizona graduating with a B.S. in Bacteriology in 1950. After a brief stint as a Bacteriologist at Gerber Food Products, he began his pursuit of a PhD in Microbiology at the University of California, Davis which was awarded in 1956. Dr. Cota-Robles then received a U.S. Department of Public Health Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Karolinksa Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. It was there that he met his wife, Gun. Upon his return to the U.S., Dr. Cota-Robles assumed a faculty position at the University of California, Riverside. In 1965, he also became Director of the Educational Opportunity Program at UC, Riverside. From 1970-1973 he served as Chairman of the Department of Microbiology at Penn State University. In 1973 Dr. Cota-Robles returned to the University of California system by accepting the position of Academic Vice Chancellor at the University of California, Santa Cruz, a position he held until his 1979. Dr. Cota-Robles also served as Provost of Crown College, UCSC from 1982 to 1986. He finished his career with the Office of the President of the University of California as the Assistant Vice President, Academic Advancement from 1986 to 1991. Dr. Cota-Robles is a Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Following his retirement, he was a Special Assistant to the Director of the National Science Foundation. In 1978, President Carter appointed Dr. Cota-Robles to the National Science Board. Dr. Cota-Robles served on the boards of the Carnegie Corporation, Ford Foundation, SACNAS. He was co-chair of the College Board's National Task Force on Minority High Achievement; He also was a juror for the Heinz Awards. Eugene H. Cota-Robles was a passionate educator and scientist who mentored numerous students and colleagues. Dr. Cota-Robles was also very active in recruiting minority students to apply to and study at the University of California from the earliest days of his career. In recognition for his contributions towards advancing minority achievement at the University of California, the Regents of the University renamed the University of California GPOP Fellowships to the Eugene H. Cota-Robles Fellowships. A memorial service in Santa Cruz, California is pending.