Abraham Nasatir was born in 1906 in Santa Ana, California. He entered UC Berkeley at the age of 14, and received his Ph.D. in history at age 21. While studying at Berkeley he met his future wife, Ida Hirsch, an English student also attending the school.
After marrying in 1929, the couple moved to San Diego where Nasatir began a 50-year teaching career at San Diego State College. Focusing on Spanish border and Mississippi valley history, and Gold Rush history, Nasatir published 14 books and numerous articles, establishing himself as a national expert on these subjects. He also served as vice-consul for Paraguay and Ecuador.
As an Orthodox Jew, he was a leader and educator of the Jewish community. Nasatir Hall on the SDSU campus is named for him. Dr. Nasatir retired in 1974 and died in 1991.
1981 interviews with Abraham Nasatir, Professor Emeritus of History, 1928-1974.
- Part 1: (10/28/1981) (part 1 pp. 1-10)
- Part 2: (10/28/1981) (part 1 pp. 11-18)
- Part 3: (10/28/1981) (part 1 pp. 19, part 2 pp. 1-3)
Download the PDF transcript: Transcript Part 1; Transcript Part 2.
In these interviews covering 6 separate sessions, Dr. Nasatir covers an exhaustive range of subjects from his early childhood, to his adventures in research, to his tenure as a celebrated SDSU faculty member. Please refer to the transcript (linked above) for a more complete summary of these interviews.
Interviewed by Alexandra Luberski on 10/28/81, 11/4/81, 11/11/81, 11/18/81, 11/23/81, and 12/2/82.
Image credit: Abraham Nasatir in 1963, University Archives Photograph Collection, Special Collections & University Archives.
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