Cal Poly journalism professor George Ramos was found dead in his Morro Bay home Saturday at the age of 63.
According to an article on CalCoastNews.com, where Ramos was editor, he had not contacted anyone from work for several days. CalCoastNews.com reporter Karen Velie said she had not heard from Ramos in nearly 10 days.
“I knew when he wasn’t available there was something wrong,” Velie said. “I went to his house and his car was in his garage. I pulled up and stood on (my) car to look in the window (and saw the car. Later, I saw) the TV was on.”
Velie also said she saw small disturbances, such as a newspaper outside the door that had not been retrieved and a coke can that was left out.
Morro Bay police officer Dale Cullum said the police were alerted to Ramos’ condition by a friend who flagged down a passing police officer. According to Cullum, the officer then did a “welfare check.”
The police later contacted Velie, asking for her to go to Ramos’ house. When she got there, the police received permission to jimmy a window open near a rear bedroom in order to get into the house.
Velie said the police found Ramos laying in the hallway, and it looked as if he he had fallen and hit his head. Although cause of death is unknown, Cullum said it would be the coroner’s decision whether or not to perform an autopsy, because Ramos’ death was most likely due to natural causes.
Velie began working with Ramos in 2009, when Ramos joined CalCoastNews.com as editor, and said she admired the man who did so much for journalism in the area.
“It’s a massive blow to the journalism commmunity, especially in San Luis Obispo County,” she said. “So many people in journalism love him.”
Cal Poly graphic communication department chair Harvey Levenson was close with Ramos. Levenson said he and Ramos became close while Ramos was chair of Cal Poly’s journalism department, and the two shared offices on the same floor.
“I knew him more as a son than as a faculty colleague,” Levenson said. “We used to joke around a lot … we both loved baseball. He was a cool guy, a really cool guy. Easy to joke around with, easy to talk to.”
Levenson also said he appreciated Ramos as a faculty member.
“He had a lot to contribute,” Levenson said. “He was an award-winning journalist.”
Ramos, who spent more than 30 years in daily journalism, was a winner of three Pulitzer Prizes and inducted into the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Hall of Fame in 2007. He taught both Writing for the Media and Journalism History at Cal Poly, serving as the department chair from 2003 to 2007. He began to teach at Cal Poly after leaving his job at the Los Angeles Times in order to work at the university he graduated from in 1969.
“George was passionate about journalism and his students, and he was passionate about promoting his students in the future,” Velie said. “(His death) just blew me away.”
Cal Poly College of Liberal Arts dean Linda Halisky said she was also blown away by the news.
“We’re all pretty shocked about it, as you can imagine,” Halisky said. “Ramos was absoulutely dedicated to the department and its students.”
No plans have been made as of yet by Cal Poly to commemorate Ramos, Halisky said.
“It’s too soon to know, but I’m sure we will want to recognize him in some way,” she said.
Vicki Billings, Karlee Prazak and Kaytlyn Leslie contributed to this article.
Such sad news. I was really looking forward to taking a class with Ramos in the fall. He will be greatly missed and his contributions to journalism and Cal Poly will be remembered forever.
That’s so sad that he went so suddenly. =( Thank goodness his friend checked in on him. My condolences for his friends and family members. He sounds like he was a great professor.
George Ramos will be missed. He was gracious with his time and energy. His work has inspired Cal Poly Journalism grads and will continue to do so for generations. His commencement address remains a classic. Ramos gave tough love and demanded hard work. He also had award winning journalism experience. This will be sorely be missed at CP. Ramos and Robert E. Kennedy have left the Journalism program with two less guardian angels.
This is such sad news. As one of George’s past students, I can say that the Cal Poly Journalism Department will surely miss his mentorship, industry experience and his friendship.
I was so sorry to hear this sad news. Anyone who worked with George or knew him, knew how passionate he was about journalism. I worked with George at Mustang Daily while he was the sports editor and later the Editor in Chief. I was on the advertising side in sales and then advertising manager in our last year. We had a lot of late nights putting the new daily to bed. His passing is certainly a great loss to journalism and the many students who will now miss the chance to be in his classes. I know he will be greatly missed at Cal Poly as well as the Cal Coast News.
George was all the things others have mentioned — tough, funny, a real character — and a whole lot more.
George didn’t come back to Cal Poly by accident. I first got to know George in 1992, and he had a plan even then for his beloved Journalism Department. He saw what was lacking, and he wanted to be a part of the solution. He didn’t care who he offended or what protocol he was supposed to follow. He was a thorn in the side of administrators, especially Cal Poly President Warren Baker. It didn’t bother George a bit to camp out in Baker’s office or tap on the door of his private residence. George’s mission meant a blessed many Cal Poly Journalism students had the opportunity to learn under a tremendous teacher and in an environment that grew ever closer to its potential. George made sure his beloved Cal Poly Journalism program was not allowed to disappear or remain in the declining state it had been in for a few years. The university is known for its engineers and ag, but George made sure we journalism “kiddos” got our share of quality education, too. George and a handful of other amazing journalism icons — Jim Hayes, Herb Kamm, and Marv Sosna — made Cal Poly journalism a wonderful place to learn the craft he loved.
I didn’t actually attend any of George’s classes. That’s not to say I didn’t learn from him. He didn’t teach at Cal Poly during my time there, but he made the trip to SLO as often as possible to check in on us and offer advice. He met us in the newsroom, in the classroom, and at the bar. He would say, “I want to know what’s really going on.” He listened to us. He took us seriously. He cared.
While I mourn for the loss of George as a teacher to future journalists, I remember him most for his friendship. Those meetings at the bar(s) where I saw him swill his fair share of beer and tequila created some really funny memories. His loss has carved a whole in my heart. I miss him already.
I have known George for almost 40 years. We were kids working on a congressional campaign together and remained friends, off and on through time and distance, for years. He was brilliant, funny, focused, and committed. He wrote some of the best articles I ever read. In 1978 working for the Union Trib, he went into Mexico and had himself smuggled out, stuffed in a car trunk, and driven to the LA produce markets where he labored alongside the real desperate migrants. His multi-part feature was journalism and kufe exoressed at its highest level. I still have the original, yellowing and tattered, which I will cherish. I last saw George about a year ago, and it was as if no time had passed. I will miss him more than I can say – he was a beautiful human being who enriched us all with his presence.