December 4, 2012 – On November 1, California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) dedicated Residence Hall C at the campus’ Hillside College to Naomi Rainey, university alumna and president of the Long Beach chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The dorm is now named the Naomi Rainey House in honor of Rainey’s efforts to support the university, including establishing the Rainey-Pierson Scholarship more than 20 years ago. “This is a very significant event in the history of this wonderful university as it marks the first time an official naming of a facility has been designated in honor of an African American who is an alumnus of this institution, Douglas Robinson, vice president for student affairs at CSULB, said in a statement. Rainey, who lived in the former Residence Hall C when she attended CSULB in the late 1960s and early ’70s, earned a bachelor’s degree in theatre arts with a minor in black studies from the university in 1972. She has also earned two master’s degrees in education from CSULB, one with an emphasis in reading and curriculum development in 1980 and the other with an emphasis in school administration and supervision in 1982. Rainey also holds seven teaching credentials and worked for both the Compton Unified School District and the Long Beach Unified School District. She has won numerous awards and recognition for her philanthropy and community service. “CSULB helped to make me a whole person; a well-rounded person,” Rainey said in a statement. “From this university, I received far more than an excellent education. I was welcomed. I was included, nurtured and my voice was heard. My reason for supporting this fine institution is to show that I appreciate all that I received here, and hopefully to motivate others to do the same – to give back.” (Photograph by the Business Journal’s Thomas McConville)