In Memoriam: Gerald E. Whittenburg
Whittenburg had nearly 40 years of teaching, research and service at SDSU.
San Diego State University accounting professor, Gerald E. Whittenburg passed away unexpectedly at his home in Alpine, California on Sunday, March 8. He was 68 years old.
Whittenburg was born in McAllen, Texas in February of 1947. During the Vietnam War, he served from April 1969 to January 1971 in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Constellation as a data processing technician, and rose to the rank of Petty Officer Third Class.
After leaving the military, Whittenburg returned to the University of Houston where he earned a bachelor's degree in economics in 1972, a master's degree in accountancy in 1974 and a Ph.D. in accounting in 1976. He joined the faculty at SDSU's College of Business Administration in Fall 1976. With nearly 40 years of teaching, research and service, Whittenburg was one of the seven longest-serving professors at SDSU.
Whittenburg’s area of specialization was taxation, and he has written more than 90 articles published in journals, such as Accounting Review, Journal of Accounting Education, Advances in Taxation, Journal of Legal Tax Research and Practical Tax Strategies. He authored "Federal Tax Research" starting in 1987 and "Income Tax Fundamentals" beginning in 1982, which remains a market-leading text.
As a dedicated educator, Whittenburg taught thousands of SDSU undergraduate and graduate students and served as adviser and mentor as they launched their successful accounting careers. For the past decade, he was responsible for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program at SDSU where accounting students provided income tax return preparation to thousands of low and middle-income taxpayers.
Whittenburg won numerous awards, including the Outstanding Faculty Contribution award, also known as the “Faculty Monty,” from SDSU’s College of Business in 1990 and 2013. He also won the Trustee’s Outstanding Faculty Award in 1991, which is given to one professor in the California State University system, and was designated as a Senate Distinguished Professor in 1990.
He also served as the Director of the Charles W. Lamden School of Accountancy from 1984 to 1988 and again in 2012 and 2013. In 2003, Whittenburg received a Fulbright Senior Specialist grant at the Academy of Tax Services of Ukraine. He was also appointed as a visiting scholar at the University of Adelaide in 1999 and 2005, and the University of South Australia in 2009 and 2010.
Whittenburg is survived by his wife, Devona Newport, and his sister and brother-in-law, Linda and Russell Suggs.
Honoring Dr. Whittenburg
A memorial service for Whittenburg will be held on Saturday, May 2 at 10 a.m. in Montezuma Hall in the Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union on the SDSU campus. Free parking will be available in Lot F.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in Whittenburg’s memory can be made to the Gene Whittenburg Memorial Tax Scholarship. Select “My Gift is a Tribute” and enter “Whittenburg Tax Scholarship Fund” under Name or Occasion. Alternatively, checks can be made payable to The Campanile Foundation and mailed to 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA 92182. Write “Whittenburg Tax Scholarship Fund” on the memo line.
