In Memoriam: Yvette Marie Fallandy, 1926-2021

Yvette Fallandy, a longtime professor and administrator at Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park, California, died on January 15 at a hospital in Santa Rosa. She was 94 years old.

Dr. Fallandy grew up in Santa Monica. She earned a bachelor’s degree in French from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1948 and a master’s degree from the University of Oregon in 1950. She earned a Ph.D. in romance languages and literature at UCLA.

Before joining the faculty at what was then Sonoma State College in 1964, Dr. Fallandy taught at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania and Mills College in Oakland, California. At Sonoma State, Dr. Fallandy was encharged with establishing a French studies program and served as a faculty adviser to Catholic students. She served as dean of students at the college and as chair of the humanities division. In 1970, Dr. Fallady was appointed vice president of academic affairs, the first woman to hold the post. She served in that role for several years before returning to the faculty full-time until her retirement in 1997.

The Yvette Fallandy Scholarship fund was established by Sonoma State University in 1999.