Gail Fullerton (courtesy of SJSU Special Collections and Archive)

Gail Fullerton (courtesy of SJSU Special Collections and Archive)

Gail Fullerton, the first woman ever to serve as SJSU’s president, passed away on Jan. 1 in Oregon. She was 88.

“Our warmest thoughts are with the Fullerton family during this difficult loss,” said Interim President Susan Martin.

Appointed in 1978, President Fullerton led our campus until her retirement in 1991. She was the first faculty member promoted to the university’s top leadership post since 1900.

Her professional and personal accomplishments and other anecdotes are captured in an obituary published Wednesday afternoon. Funeral arrangements are pending.