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Chico State

Fond Farewell: Kinesiology Professor Emeritus George David Swanson

Trinity Hall and its bell tower are pictured with trees on a spring morning.
Jason Halley / University Photographer

Trinity Hall is seen behind the trees on Tuesday, April 30, 2019, in Chico, Calif. (Jason Halley/University Photographer/CSU Chico)

Professor Emeritus George David Swanson, who taught kinesiology for 22 years, passed away April 10. He was 79.

Born September 19, 1942, in Eureka, he earned his bachelor’s degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 1965, a master’s degree from Stanford University in 1967, and a PhD in engineering from Stanford in 1972. During his early career, Swanson taught anesthesiology and system science at UCLA and he was an associate professor of anesthesiology and biometrics, and director of the anesthesiology graduate student and research programs at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver.

Swanson also worked as the head of the Division of Science, Mathematics and Engineering at College of the Redwoods, served as a visiting lecturer in summer 1980 at the University Laboratory of Physiology at Oxford University in England, and was a visiting scientist at the University Space Research Association NASA-Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, in 1988.

In 1989, he was hired to teach in the Department of Kinesiology and Exercise Physiology at Chico State. During his two-decade tenure, he worked as the coordinator of the grants and contracts council; director of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Education; codirector of the Pacific Wellness Institute; coordinator of the exercise physiology program; and coordinator of graduate studies in kinesiology.

“We are deeply grateful for David’s years of service to our department. He had a love for graduate education, tackling the graduate coordinator role and serving on countless graduate student committees,” said Kinesiology Department Chair Kevin Patton. “Even after his retirement, David remained connected to the department and community by supporting graduate students with mentoring and professional learning opportunities and volunteering at several local hospitals.”

Colleagues said he influenced countless individuals as a teacher, mentor, and friend.

“Dave was famous for his intelligence and intellectual curiosity,” said retired kinesiology professor Thomas Fahey. “He was a world-class expert in pulmonary physiology, and we were lucky to have someone of his quality on the faculty.”

Swanson presented at local, national, and international meetings, authored numerous books or chapters, and was published in dozens of prestigious journals. Notably, his expertise in technology led to his involvement on several significant projects, including redesign of an infrared CO2 sensors at the UCLA Medical School; the invention of a dynamic end-tidal forcing system for studying respiratory and cardiovascular control; and creating a mass spectrometer at the University of Colorado that was eventually used on the Mir Space Station and later shuttle flights. At Chico State, he designed and constructed an altitude chamber, as well as an algorithm for optimizing human-powered vehicle performance, accompanying students to national competition.

After he retired in 2011, he earned a master’s degree in biomedical ethics, volunteered as a chaplain at Enloe Medical Center, and was a part-time minister at Craig Memorial Congregational Church in Paradise. Swanson loved the outdoors, especially at his cabins, first in Colorado, and then in Lake Almanor. And he particularly enjoyed cold-water swims and could be found there most mornings.

He is survived by his wife of more than 50 years, Kristin; son Eric Swanson; son Christopher Swanson; numerous grandchildren; and sisters Ann Louise Johnson and Carolyn Wunner.

Memorial contributions can be made in his name to Craig Memorial Congregational Church. Services have been held.

The University flag will be lowered Wednesday, June 15, in his memory.