By: Alexis Alvarez, Jan 21, 2025
After 17 years of service, advocacy and mentorship at Cal Poly Pomona, professor and physics department chair Alexander Small died Dec. 7 from brain cancer at 47 years old.
According to his colleagues, he was passionate, funny and intelligent.
According to CPP alumna April Heidorn, there are hardly enough words to describe the man Small was.
Small became the physics department chair in 2022 after the death of former department chair Hector Mireles.
CPP alumnus Forrest Hippensteel, one of Small’s first research students, said the passing of Small is a great loss to the campus and the department.
“He was such an amazing mentor and always interested in student success,” Hippensteel said.
Small inspired Hippensteel to minor in physics, and he described him as an influence in the success of his career.
“He always motivated his students,” Hippensteel said. “He always tried very hard for everyone, not just the physics students.”
Hippensteel said Small was devoted to his students’ success, and he would spend the time needed to help them succeed.
Heidorn was one of Small’s students and became his colleague at CPP from fall 2014 through summer 2015 as a lab instructor and lecturer.
“It was nice getting to see a different side of him,” Heidorn said. “He was definitely a little bit more reserved as a professor in a social aspect, but working with him, he would just stop in my office and talk about things.”
Heidorn said Small influenced her career choice of going into the physics industry and eased her mind about not obtaining a Ph.D.
She also said Small would showcase different opportunities for people, either in academia or industry. He wanted success for his students in any path they chose.
“He definitely went out of his way to help a lot of us out, and he showed he cared in a lot of different ways including holding extra sessions for us.” Heidorn said.
Small hosted many events within the Department of Physics and Astronomy to help students get connected with potential jobs.
He was also involved in the Optical Society of Southern California, where he received a Lifetime Achievement Awardin September 2024.
Ertan Salik, a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, said Small’s goal was to connect students to managers, engineers and representatives from different companies, and he did so by encouraging students to attend the Optical Society of Southern California’s monthly meetings.
Small even established an alumni panel because he wanted to connect current students in the department with former students who found jobs in various industries, according to Salik.
“He was really always thinking and wanted to do even more and formed an industry advisory board,” Salik said.
Along with the industry advisory board events, the department holds an event where industry advisory board members examine students’ resumes and approve them before a career fair.
“We did that for multiple years; it was amazing,” Salik said. “Alex was very happy seeing how many students showed up.”
Small also served on the Academic Senate for 10 years.
“He wanted to learn how the university worked so that he can bring back that knowledge back to the department, so we can establish practices in the department that can directly help our students,” Salik said.
Gregory Alan Barding Jr., an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, served on the Senate with Small for six years.
“He was insanely intelligent, and could communicate so effectively,” Barding said. He was one of those people where if he spoke in the Senate, you really did not want to follow after him. He was just so articulate. It was amazing.”
Barding said Small was an endless advocate for the department and for the students, and he was constantly making connections to help benefit students.
“For him, it wasn’t enough that students graduated,” Barding said. “They had to have a job when they graduated, a good job.”
Not only was Small devoted to the success of students, but according to his colleagues and former students, he had a humorous side to him as well.
Barding said one of Small’s favorite movies was “Pulp Fiction,” and he would often sneak lines from the movie into serious conversations and in Academic Senate meetings.
Salik said another favorite movie of Small’s was “Office Space,” and he loved to imitate a character in the movie. Small also knew how to juggle and ride a unicycle.
“People would be trying to get some food, and there’s a guy juggling on a unicycle trying to balance himself,” Salik said. “He was very fun.”
Small challenged his students and pushed them to do their best, and they loved him for that, according to Salik.
Qing Ryan, an associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, said Small was someone for her to go to without judgment.
According to Ryan, he was very outspoken, and he allowed space for others to be the same by creating a safe space.
“We’re going to miss him,” said Salik.
A memorial fund was established in Small’s honor to help students transition into their careers after they graduate.
Feature image courtesy of Tom Zasadzinski
