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Chico State

Fond Farewell: Retired IMC Staff Faye Anglen

Stars shine above Trinity Hall.
Jason Halley / University Photographer

Retired staff member Faye Anglen, a 34-year employee of the Instructional Media Center (IMC), passed away November 22. She was 94.

Born October 7, 1924, in Oroville, she attended Oroville High School, Yuba College, and Chico State, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in art in 1957. She was hired the following year as the University’s first graphic artist and photographer. Under her leadership, Chico State’s professional graphic design studio flourished, moving locations as its staff and services expanded from temporary buildings to Trinity Hall and eventually to Meriam Library.

Portrait of Faye Anglen near retirement.
Anglen was inducted into the Chico State Hall of Honor in 2013.

Former student, colleague, and longtime friend Chris Ficken said Anglen helped modernize campus services, taking the University from the days of drafting tables and darkroom photography to computer graphics and digital technologies. He recalled that in the early years IMC primarily supported academic programs on campus, creating transparency overlays that could be animated on a projector and promotional posters of a single color, “two if we were lucky.”

The work, largely done by hand, required exceptional patience and attention to detail, which Anglen had in spades, Ficken said. She was also passionate about researching industry developments to bring the latest technology to campus, first teaching herself to use it and then her colleagues. Among those improvements were the University’s first digital printer and digital camera, which she used to capture student life and campus like never before.

“Nobody on campus thought it would really work,” Ficken said. “She dove into it and made it happen, laughing all the way.”

Black and white photo of Faye kneeling on a collection of Wildcat newspapers surrounded by a team of students in collared shirts or long skirts customary to the time.
Anglen (front left) sits on a collection of Wildcat newspapers with a team of students. (Photo courtesy of Chris Ficken)

Anglen also was dedicated to sharing her knowledge and providing experience to students to build their portfolios. She developed a major internship program for IMC involving upwards of eight students each semester. Her leadership and supervision guided student designers who as alumni went on to lead the visual identities of Nike, Banana Republic, IBM, and Salesforce, among other major brands.

Quite simply, Anglen was a “pioneer,” said Professor Emeritus Gregg Berryman, whose graphic design students were among her regular hires—both as students and later as University employees.

“Her connections and interns and hiring former design students made a huge impact on the campus,” he said. “She was a great facilitator. She really recognized great talent that came in and provided most of the design work in that program toward the end of her career.”

In addition to graphic elements Anglen created for Chico State, she also shared her talents with private and public agencies. The logo she designed for the Society for California Archeology is still in use today.

Black and white photo of Faye and another woman standing in front of a Christmas tree.
Anglen, right, with one of her assistants in the early years when their office was located in a prefabricated steel hut on campus. (Photo courtesy of Chris Ficken)

Anglen’s former colleagues said her legacy is also largely for her cheerful attitude and collaborations across campus. Her department had a reputation for being one of the most congenial service areas at Chico State, and with her perpetual friendliness and helpful attitude, she was beloved by clients, said Laura Kling, retired coordinator and art director of Web Services.

“She was also kind and generous to the students. She had her hair done every Friday at 7 a.m. and always picked up treats for the students on her way to work. She was accepting of all the trials and tribulations that students experience throughout their college career,” Kling said. “When she retired and I was hired to take her place, she was my role model.”

Anglen retired from Chico State in 1992 and was inducted into the Chico State Hall of Honor in 2013. In retirement, she continued volunteering for the Oroville Parks and the Butte County Historical Society, taking particular pleasure in volunteering for the Oroville Chinese Temple. She also enjoyed restoring a 1902-era home she shared with her husband, Mel, traveling together in Europe, Mexico, and Central America, swimming, performances, and lunch groups in Chico and Oroville.

She had no survivors, and no services were held.