David Littlejohn — UC professor
David Littlejohn, who taught journalism at UC Berkeley for 35 years, urging students to be bold storytellers and critics, and was a prolific essayist and cultural commentator, died at his Kensington home June 4 after a long physical decline. He was 78.
He was a professor emeritus at the Graduate School of Journalism. Beyond the years he spent in the classroom and the accolades he collected as a writer and television host, he was remembered by those closest to him as a generous man with an adventurous spirit.
“He was a giving man,” said his son, Greg Littlejohn of Nevada City, “one of the most giving people you’ll ever meet. I was lucky in that, as an adult, he was a friend to me, not just a father.”
Born in San Francisco in 1937, he attended Junipero Serra High in San Mateo before graduating in 1959 from UC Berkeley, where he studied architecture. It was during his college years that he fell in love with the city, later writing, “I discovered what an exciting, tolerant, worldly place Berke- ley was, and I vowed to make it my home.”
He went on to get his doctorate from Harvard and soon after married Sheila Hageman, who would be the love of his life and his constant travel partner. She died in 2009.
In 1963, he began teaching at Berkeley in what he described as his “dream job,” first as an English professor. Throughout his career, he worked as a “critic at large,” hosting a weekly show on public television and eventually writing for publications including the Times of London and the Wall Street Journal.
“He was an amazing guy who really just had the will to push to get paid to do what he loved,” Greg Littlejohn said.
It wasn’t always an easy journey. At age 15, he broke his neck in a diving accident and was left partially paralyzed, leaving him on crutches for much of his life.
“I didn’t have the typical father who would play catch,” Greg Littlejohn said. “But it didn’t affect him much. I can remember him taking me on hikes in Point Reyes and on the research trips he did.”
Having published 14 books and nearly 400 critical re- views, Professor Littlejohn earned awards including a University of California Distinguished Teacher Award, a Fulbright lectureship to France and a special award from the American Institute of Architects.
His legacy, though, is better measured by his impact on students, with whom he was energetic and demanding, said Joan Bieder, associate dean of the journalism school.
“I remember students lined up outside his office during office hours,” she said. “He was of the old school in the best possible way, and I always admired his courage and his dedication to teaching and writing.”
Greg Littlejohn said he was “learning now more than ever just how many people’s lives he affected. I kind of always knew, but since he died there has just been this outpouring from his students and people he mentored. It has been really amazing.”
Professor Littlejohn is survived by his son as well as his daughter, Victoria Littlejohn of Burbank, as well as a brother, three sisters and three grandchildren. He requested that there be no funeral service, but provided for a party to be held at his home.