News

A car accident just north of Willits took the life of Humboldt State University Chemistry Professor William Golden Friday night, according to a Humboldt State University press release.

HSU press release follows.

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William G. Golden, 58, of Sunny Brae, Professor of Chemistry and Chair of the Departments of Chemistry and of Physics and Astronomy at Humboldt State University, was killed Friday, Nov. 19, at about 8:30 p.m. when his vehicle left the road and collided with two trees on Route 101, six miles north of Willits on Schoolhouse Hill in central Mendocino County. Cause of the accident is under investigation, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Golden joined Humboldt State in 1993 after many years as a scientist and staff engineer at IBM, San Jose. He earned his doctorate in physical chemistry in 1978 from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. 

Winner of HSU’s Outstanding Faculty Award in 1999, Golden was a member of the American Chemical Society, American Physical Society and the Society for Applied Spectroscopy, among other professional affiliations.

Steven Smith, Interim Dean of HSU’s College of Natural Resources and Sciences, said Golden brought exemplary teaching and administrative abilities to the campus. “He was respected professionally and admired personally by all who studied and worked with him,” Smith said. “He certainly will be missed.”

Funeral arrangements are pending.