Professor, therapist, coach Kenneth Guttman succumbed to cancer at 66
Psychology and teaching major Margarita Lopez applies lessons from her intro to psychology course every day.
Lopez works with bi-polar, psychotic and schizophrenic patients at People’s Care home in Glendora. She said she reflects on the advice of her professor Kenneth Guttman constantly.
“He used a lot of sarcasm when he’d teach his classes — he was very funny,” Lopez said. “He had a lot of patience. If students asked the same question, he wasn’t upset.”
Guttman died on April 18. He was 66. Guttman, who taught at Citrus College for nearly 30 years, died of thymic cancer. He was diagnosed 18 months earlier, but the disease had already spread throughout his body.
Lopez said he frequently stayed after class to advise her about working with patients.
“(He) used to tell us in his class, if you deal with people like this, here are some steps you’ll need to take ’cause you’ll be mentally drained,” Lopez said. “… I still use it today — take breathers, to take breaks. It’s OK to take a day off.”
On social media, generations of students and colleagues wrote about the loss of their basketball coach, professor and colleague. Guttman’s funeral was broadcast on Zoom on April 22.
“I was looking forward to take a class of his for fall,” said Rogelio Ruiz on Facebook. “He was such a great professor.”
Psychology major Taylor Thoms said he was in Guttman’s class around the time he was diagnosed.
“He always was determined to beat it and also was determined to live the best life he could while fighting it,” Thoms said in a text message.
Lopez was also in class during Guttman’s struggle with cancer.
“It makes more sense now,” Lopez said. “He wrote on the board that he had to cancel class once for a doctor’s appointment.”
Guttman joined the Citrus faculty in 1991. Students praised his classes and teaching methods.
“He was an older gentleman, but he was very hip with technology,” Lopez said. “He knew how the streets were, about teenagers, about adolescence.”
Of the 174 reviews on www.ratemyprofessors.com for Guttman had a 100% “Would take again” rating.
Guttman’s birthday was April 25. Guttman’s daughter Brianna Guttman posted photos of her father celebrating past birthdays. Citrus alumnus Cory Larrabee found out his former professor died when he saw Brianna Guttman’s post.
“He’s one of the few professors I remember taking,” Larrabee said. “Somehow he always linked his personal stories to whatever lecture he was giving.”
Larrabee graduated from Citrus in 2018 and now works as an accountant.
“Everyone who goes to Citrus knows Dr. Guttman,” Larabee said. “I feel bad about all the younger people going to Citrus who won’t get the opportunity to experience what we were all lucky enough to experience.”
Superintendent/president Geraldine Perri, Ph.D., sent an email to faculty and staff to mark Guttman’s death. She highlighted his distinguished academic career.
Perri’s email said Guttman began teaching behavioral medicine to medical staff in 1979 at San Pedro Peninsula Hospital. He interned in behavioral medicine at UCLA’s Comprehensive Health Education Enhancement Research Institute from 1983-1984.
He was a guest lecturer at the University of London on “Nature Versus Nurture: The History of Behavioral Capacities,” in 1995.
“He always knew what he talked about,” Lopez said. “He’s been a professor since the ’70s, the ’80s, the ’90s. But he always coughed when he talked about his age.”
Guttman coached women’s basketball at Citrus from 2001-2006. His team won the Western State Conference South Division championship in the 2004-2005 season. That same year Guttman was named the Coach of the Year in the Western State Conference.
The victory is the team’s only conference championship — the second in Citrus history.
Assistant athletic director Jackie Boxley said Guttman was a model of team leadership.
“He was big on building up women too,” Boxley said. “Seeing young women succeed and thrive, it probably had a lot to do with his daughters as well.”
Boxley recalled Guttman welcoming her when she arrived at Citrus.
“It was fun to talk to him, he was just real competitive, and he was just a great guy,” Boxley said. “He was good for the athletes. He took care of his kids, and he gave me a lot of guidance at Citrus early in my career.”
Guttman also taught as an adjunct professor at University of La Verne and Cal Poly Pomona.
Citrus math professor Paul Swatzel was one of the people who posted on social media about his colleague’s death. Guttman and Swatzel shared interests in politics, professional football, Scotch whisky and the stock market.
“He really loved what he did — that was evident,” Swatzel said. “Everybody could put in their two cents; everybody felt heard.”
Swatzel and Guttman attended a Buffalo Bills game together two years ago. They had planned to attend a Chargers-Bills game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood when it opens.
“He said if he felt better the following weekend, he’d call me back,” Swatzel said. “And he didn’t call. I didn’t want to bug him too much, because I knew things had to be pretty bad if he didn’t want to talk.”
Guttman won the Citrus College 2020 Distinguished Faculty Award. Guttman was going to receive the award at graduation and give a speech. With his death, Citrus misses another one of his lessons.
Lopez said Guttman inspired her to keep pursuing her career in psychology.
“It’s very sad to know that he’s gone, but he’s not suffering anymore,” Lopez said. “And he lived a good life from what he’d tell us stories about.”
Features editor and reporter Vicman Thome was a contributor to this story.
