Who Was Carlos Bee?
Carlos Bee a Key Player in Creating the Hayward Campus
Carlos Bee was first a City Council member, then Mayor of Hayward from 1948 to 1954. As a local politician with roots in Hayward, he lobbied long and hard to secure the current Hayward Hills location as the official site of the proposed State College for Southern Alameda County. Competing with over 15 other possible locations (including Pleasanton, San Leandro and Fremont), it was Bee’s persistent effort that finally won Governor Knight’s signature of approval for our current campus in 1957. He later served as Speaker pro Tem of the California State Assembly from 1959-68. Meanwhile, the campus' first dorms were named after him (see photo, above). Upon his death in 1974, the street going up the hill from Mission Boulevard (formerly Hillary Road) was named in his honor.
State Assemblyman Carlos Bee (left) with the first president of the new campus, Fred Harcleroad (right). Together with a representative of the college trustees (center), they turn the first spade of dirt for the new Hayward campus on February 22, 1961. In the photo to the right, Bee poses in front of the campus’ first dorms, named in his honor.