Whittier College extends heartfelt condolences to the friends and families of members of the Poet community who died in 2024. We honor their lifetimes of accomplishments and profound service.
Professor Ivannia Soto-Hinman
Dr. Ivannia Soto-Hinman, professor of education, passed away on April 23, 2024, at 48, after an eight-year journey with cancer. A beloved and renowned bilingual education scholar and mentor at Whittier College for 15 years, Soto-Hinman’s relentless optimism and wide-reaching advocacy in education reform inspired colleagues and influenced countless aspiring and veteran educators across California and the nation.
The author of 12 books, Soto-Hinman was a sought-after expert on multilingual education. She frequently delivered trainings and workshops to school districts, county offices, and education systems nationwide. In 2011, Soto-Hinman founded the Institute for Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Teaching at Whittier. Over the last decade, she led efforts to establish the College as a leader in bilingual education pedagogy, launching the Bilingual Authorization Program in 2018 and hosting the inaugural Bilingual Education Summit in September 2023.
Soto-Hinman earned a Ph.D. in education from the Claremont Graduate University and dual master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Biola University. As part of her postdoctoral work at Stanford University, she led the School Redesign Network from 2005 to 2007.
Soto-Hinman is survived by her husband, Ron Skamfer, her parents, Ron and Estella Soto, her sister, Arlene Soto ’94, and her loyal furry companion, Frida.
Richard H. Deihl ’49 DBA ’84
Richard H. Deihl ’49 DBA ’84 passed away at his home in San Diego on June 28, 2024, at 95. He was surrounded by his beloved wife, Billie ’50, and their four children, Cathy, Vicki, Mike, and Christine. A proud member of the Lancer Society, a trustee of Whittier College from 1970 to 1982 and again from 1992 to 2002, he served as chair during his second term and was elected trustee emeritus because of his exemplary service.
Born in Whittier, Deihl earned a degree in economics. After enlisting in the Air Force, he served as a fighter-bomber pilot during the Korean War, completing 76 combat missions. His service earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with Three Clusters, in which he achieved the rank of first lieutenant.
In 1960, Howard Ahmanson invited Deihl to join Home Savings and Loan as a loan officer. Within seven years, he rose to the position of president and eventually became CEO. During his career, he also held other notable positions, including vice chairman of the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco, president of the Thrift Institutions Advisory Council for the Federal Reserve, and serving on the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Savings and Loan League.
Deihl’s community service included being a past board member of Arco, where he chaired the Audit Committee, and serving as a trustee for Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles and the Scripps Foundation in San Diego. He also served on the board of the Charter Oak Unified School District in the San Gabriel Valley.
Elizabeth Kay-Im ’89
Liz Kay-Im ’89 passed away in April 2024. She held a double B.A. in math and computer science and business administration. She worked at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for 25 years, focused on developing data systems that are scalable and reusable across earth, planetary, and astrophysics missions. Her work reinforced and expanded JPL’s core competencies in science data collection, processing, analysis, archiving, and distribution. She also worked on many missions, such as Mars Exploration rovers, Mars Pathfinder, Cassini, Galileo, Mars Express, and Magellan. Along with her husband, Eastwood Im, she was a generous donor and an active volunteer, serving on the Board of Trustees from 2014 to 2018.
Jim Mitchell ’62
Newport Beach resident Jim Mitchell ’62 passed away in 2024. A passionate investor, he bought his first stock when he was 12 years old after selling door-to-door newspaper subscriptions.
Mitchell founded Mitchell Partners, LLP in 1980, focusing on thinly traded stocks in the pink sheets, and he was featured in Forbes Magazine in 2003 (“Wall Street’s Dark Corners”) for his tactics.
Mitchell studied political science at Whittier while his wife, Michael ’63, studied history. He received his law degree from Stanford Law School. The pair enjoyed ballroom dancing together, and Jim was an accomplished magician.
As devoted supporters of Whittier College, the two contributed over $1 million to the institution, most notably toward the Science & Learning Center in 2017. Jim’s love for his alma mater extended to his membership in the William Penn Society and Pi Sigma Alpha. Additionally, Mitchell was a trustee from 1983 to 2000 and again from 2008 to 2018.
Richard H. Pickup ’55
Philanthropist Richard “Dick” Pickup ’55, born and raised in Whittier, died on April 25, 2024, at 90. A double major in business administration and economics, Pickup was a member of the Franklin Society as well as a first baseman for the Poets baseball team.
After graduation, Pickup served in the Army as a buck private. He took classes on the stock market while in the service, and he became a stockbroker in Los Angeles shortly thereafter. Over the years, he invested in companies like Carl’s Jr., Denny’s, International Game Technology, and Epicor Software Corp.
Though he moved to Newport Beach in the ’60s, Pickup stayed involved with gifts and trips to campus. He was an avid golfer who used to play with a 7 handicap, and participated in Whittier’s Purple & Gold charity golf tournament. He also donated to other institutions, such as a $15 million gift to Hoag Hospital to form Pickup Family Neurosciences Institute, which was followed by a $50 million gift to create the Richard H. Pickup Center for Brain Health.
His philanthropy extended to other Whittier sports. In 2017, $1.3 million of renovations to Wallace “Chief” Newman Field and the Aubrey-Bonham Track in Memorial Stadium was made possible by supporters, including a $1 million leadership commitment from Dick and Carole Pickup ’57. Additionally, he set up the Pickup Athletic Development Fund.
He was also named a Centennial Honoree and — as a member of the John Greenleaf Whittier Society — he was on the JGWS President’s Council and JGWS Parent Fellow.
Joan (Erreca) Dezember ’56
Philanthropist and Athenian Joan (Erreca) Dezember ’56 died on Oct. 13, 2024. At Whittier, Joan majored in education, was the head cheerleader, and met her husband Ray Dezember ’53 — the quarterback of the football team. They married in 1954 and moved to Bakersfield, with three of their four children graduating from Whittier. Ray died in 2016 at age 85.
In addition to the eponymous Dezember House, their names are inscribed on the Poets Laureate wall in Villalobos Hall in recognition of their more than $1 million in gifts to the College. Their support can be seen in every area of the campus, including Wardman Library, the Campus Center, Memorial Stadium, and the Science and Learning Center.
For complete listings of alumni and friends of the College who have died, or to notify us of a loved one’s passing, please visit Whittier College's In Memoriam page.