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The Passing of Former Executive Director Dave Althausen

To my Fathers Friends and Colleagues:

Today, my Father, my Teacher, my Friend and my Mentor passed away peacefully with his family at his side.  His long battle with COPD and most recently his battle with Cancer is finally at an end, no longer in pain, and he is now resting with his Father, Mother and Sister in Heaven.

Recently, I drove him to both the Woodland and Marysville campuses as he was both determined and felt it his loyal duty to bring the Inter-campus mail, attend what he knew would be his last Academic Senate Meeting as Vice President/Adjunct Faculty Member, and say goodbye to his friends and colleagues as he knew it was the last time he might be able to travel to a place where he loved and felt the love of all whom he had befriended and touched and who had touched him. This was without a doubt the most painful thing I have ever done in my life.......as he knew that he was preparing to depart this world...... and this slammed me right in the heart like 10 tons of bricks, but I am so very thankful that he asked me and I was able to make this trip with him.

In my Father, there were two very different personalities.  At home, he was ever the protector - the Police Officer - who for 33 years never discussed what he encountered while wearing the Badge and Uniform as it is inherent, when one is in the field, to not share details with his family in a protective function.  One of my fondest memories of him will be the time that, as a young Police Cadet (age 14 yrs) I was able to ride with him as he had briefly rotated back to the street and to Patrol. We were headed down Beamer St, (Southbound) to a call, when a cat darted out in front of the Patrol car and I yelled "Watch out for the Cat" which apparently was the wrong thing to do as it pissed him off (I later learned from my Mother) as he had to slam the breaks on while responding to a call for service.... needless to say we missed the kitty, and responded to the call (note - he absolutely loved animals and once brought a stray home in his shirt pocket that had wandered into the P.D.)  Later on during that same shift, we
returned to the Patrol car and dispatch was talking to the Sgt. regarding a pending call in another beat.  So, before my father could instruct me on timing of the Radio, I - the ever eager looking for action Cadet, cleared us from the last call and went 10-8 just in time for the Sgt. to direct dispatch to assign the pending call to us - which pissed my Father off again as it caused him to write a report that was quite lengthy as I recall......needless to say, that was the last time I rode along with my Dad, but I am confident it was because he rotated back into Administrative
Services sooner than he had planned!

One more quick memory, this time it was my Mother's memory, in which I was the star - Dad came home for lunch while assigned as a Motor Officer earlier-on in his career.  It was fall/early winter and he took off his jacket and helmet, and proceeded to have lunch.  Apparently, I was a very concerned 2 yr. old, and not wanting Daddy to get cold when he got back on his Police Harley, I "warmed" his helmet up by placing it on the Grated Heater in the floor of the First house we lived in Woodland, causing 4 - 6 deeply melted ruts in the top of the helmet.  He later had to tell this very true story to the Chief of Police, Fred H. Martin, who laughed I'm told, yet somehow came up with another helmet for Officer Althausen.

But, the fondest memory of him is without a doubt, the time that my best friend and I took my fathers class when I returned home from Active Duty in the U.S. Army.  This is the other personality that I referenced above. Sitting in my Dad's class (AJ-10) I both saw and heard a man that I had never known.  He was very animated, told jokes, got the students to laugh, and taught us all the structure and values of the Criminal Justice field with a passion I had never seen.  To see my Dad teach was like seeing a side of him I never even knew existed, as while he liked being a Police Officer and public servant for 33 years, he absolutely lived to be a Community College instructor in the CJ/AJ field.  He had a passion in him that drove him for the 30 + years he served the students and Community of Woodland atYuba Community/Woodland Community College.

My mother and I are very thankful for both of his families - Woodland Police Department and Woodland Community College/Yuba College Marysville.  We both know my Father was very proud to have served these entities and to have worked and laughed with so many fine people during his time on this earth. While we are very eager to commemorate and celebrate his life, we are, understandably, still dealing with the grief of his passing.  That being said, a celebration is currently being planned with the Administration ofWoodland Community College, and once the details are final, we will share this event with any and all who knew and loved/cared for my Father.  We anticipate this will occur in the Fall when the semester begins.

For now, the fine and Honorable folks at Woodland Community College have graciously established a Scholarship in his name for Administration of Justice Students and we would respectfully ask that any well wishes be sent directly to the folks at Woodland Community College via the scholarship and in lieu of flowers. The college can be contacted at http://www.yccd.edu/woodland    I can also be contacted at dca965@gmail.com for scholarship details.  My Mother and I, as well as my Uncle Frank Althausen thank you all for your outpouring of love and support and your kind words, prayers and thoughts with regards to my Father's life.

Very Truly Yours,
Jan, Dave Jr. & Frank Althausen
Received 05/22/09