Molly Malcolmson Gustin

March 6, 1923 — May 10, 2011

On May 11, members of the Thomas Aquinas College community received the following somber news from President Michael F. McLean:

“I very much regret to inform you that our longtime tutor and friend, Mrs. Molly Gustin, passed away last night at the age of 88. She apparently had suffered a severe stroke during the day and was brought to Ventura County Medical Center where she died at 11:15 p.m.”

Mrs. Gustin was a beloved member of the teaching faculty for 36 years, from the College’s second year, 1972, until her retirement in 2008. Her career in education spanned more than half a century, having previously taught at Portland State University and St. John’s College in Annapolis and Santa Fe. She earned her doctorate in music at the University of Indiana, Bloomington, and her background in music theory proved invaluable in the establishment of the College’s music tutorial.

Mrs. Gustin was preceded in death by her husband, William, who passed away in 2005. She is survived by two daughters, Carolyn Morrow of Maui, Hawaii, and Cathy Remus of Jenner, Calif.; four grandsons; and three great-grandchildren. (See her full obituary here.)

A rosary was said for Mrs. Gustin in Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel, and a memorial Mass was offered on May 18. Her body was interred at Pierce Brothers Santa Paula Cemetery beside her mother, who was buried there in 1985. Later that afternoon, the College remembered Mrs. Gustin at a luncheon in St. Joseph Commons.

“Molly was a great teacher and an inspiration to her students,” said Dr. McLean. “She was, indeed, a great colleague and a great tutor, and she will be missed.”

Below is the audio from some of the speakers at that luncheon.

Carol Day, tutor:

Laurence Shields, tutor:

Michael F. McLean, president:

May her soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, rest in peace.