The late Jonathan Boe was a longtime member of the faculty at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, California. He rose from History Professor to Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences while teaching and working for three decades at CLU until his death at age 55 in November of 1999. He also spent much of his time working to improve academic standards at CLU. He was described as quiet, modest, principled, unflappable, brilliant, trusted and indefatigable. His faculty colleagues expressed that they always relied on his uncompromising honesty and judgment. As one colleague wrote, “Jon was invariably the smartest man in the room. Any room.” He typically worked to build consensus. He was a peace maker, but also decisive.
Jonathan was a Chicago native, who graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Carleton College and received his masters and doctoral degrees from Stanford University. He was married for thirty years until his death to Jeanne Myers from Menlo Park, California. He wrote and co-authored several works, including American Business: The Response to the Soviet Union, 1933-1947; The American Journey, United States History through Diaries and Letters, vol. I & II; and Writing Women’s Lives: American Women’s History through Letters and Diaries. A CLU speakers’ series that focuses on American History has been endowed in honor of Jonathan Boe.
Throughout his life Jon maintained an interest in traveling as well as reading mysteries and science fiction.
Jeanne Boe
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I remember Jonathan very well. He was in my freshman year English class with Phil Sheridan and we used to talk sometimes after class, and occasionally over the next four years at Carleton. We both came from Chicago originally and were history majors. He was very shy at that time, and so was I, so we had that in common too. The last time I saw him was on a visit to California when he was a grad student at Stanford. That was probably in 1967, but I still felt sad when I heard about his death. I always thought of him as a very good person, sensitive and kind.
Ruth Sheldon
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I remember Jonathan very well. He was in my freshman year English class with Phil Sheridan and we used to talk sometimes after class, and occasionally over the next four years at Carleton. We both came from Chicago originally and were history majors. He was very shy at that time, and so was I, so we had that in common too. The last time I saw him was on a visit to California when he was a grad student at Stanford. That was probably in 1967, but I still felt sad when I heard about his death. I always thought of him as a very good person, sensitive and kind.