Gustavo Adolfo Vargas

Dr. GUSTAVO ADOLFO VARGAS, PhD, Full of energy, joy, and life,Dr. Gustavo Adolfo Vargas, PhD, Professor of Management at California State University Fullerton, passed away suddenly on Sunday, June 13th at the age of 61 due to a massive stroke. His spirit will be greatly missed by his family, colleagues, students and all the lives that he touched. He was a caring and loving father to his only child Carla and cared deeply about the thousands of students that he not only taught, but mentored as their professor throughout his 25 years of teaching. Gustavo always fought to support the rights of those around him or those he felt needed an extra hand, starting with his struggle against the Paraguayan dictatorship in 1969 as a prominent student leader for which he was jailed and tortured. He was an active faculty leader on the CSUF campus as a member of the Academic Senate, the Graduate Education Committee, and the College of Business and Economic International Business Program Committee, and led many University investigations, grant and partnership projects with universities and government agencies in Europe and throughout Latin America. Gustavo shared 27 years of marriage with his former wife Olga Vargas with whom he developed his education, his career, and their only child Carla. Together, they left Paraguay to escape persecution and took the risk to come to the United States together to pursue his doctorate degree at Penn State University and to make their lives. Gustavo Vargas is survived by his only child, Carla Vargas Rivas, his son-in-law Robert Rivas, and his former wife of 27 years Olga Vargas. Ever believing in defending human rights and helping others, we can take solace in that even beyond his life on earth, he was able to help people with the donation of his organs to save three people's lives. Funeral services will be held Saturday, June 19 at 10:00 a.m. at Saint Angela Merici in Brea, California. Flowers may be sent to the Memory Garden Memorial Park Chapel, 455 W. Central Avenue, Brea. Donations may be made in his name to Amnesty International or the American Stroke Association.