Berkeleyan

Obituary
George J. Maslach

17 November 2004

George Maslach (Saxon Donnelly photo, UC Berkeley)

George J. Maslach, former vice chancellor for research and academic affairs at Berkeley and an ardent academic leader for decades, died Thursday, Nov. 11, at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Richmond following a stroke. He was 84.

Maslach, who launched his career as an aeronautical engineer, was an expert in the field of rarified gas dynamics, which was important to the space programs.

Maslach, who joined the Berkeley faculty in 1952, was named dean of the College of Engineering in 1963. During his nine-year tenure the college boosted enrollment and surged to No. 2 in the national rankings. In 1972 he was appointed provost for professional schools and colleges, and served as vice chancellor for research and academic affairs from 1981 to 1983.

Survivors include his wife, Doris Anne Cuneo of Berkeley; sons Steven Maslach of Bainbridge Island, Wash., and James Maslach of Novato; daughter Christina Maslach Zimbardo of San Francisco; and five grandchildren.

His daughter, Christina, is vice provost for undergraduate education at Berkeley and a psychology professor. In 2001 the George and Doris Cuneo Maslach Hall, a residence hall on the Clark Kerr Campus, was named for the couple.

Funeral services will be private; a campus memorial service is pending. A complete obituary will be published in the next issue of the Berkeleyan.

— Kathleen Maclay