City College lost another member of its community when Max Whittaker, retired faculty member and former chairman of the Theatre Department, passed away on Aug. 17, at the age of 91.

Whittaker, born Nov. 28, 1920, was a staple of the Santa Barbara theatre community, and director of numerous City College theatre productions. He is survived by his daughter Barbara and two grandchildren.

Patricia Frank, director of design and technology, worked with Whittaker for two years when she started at City College.

“Actors loved to be in his show…that’s probably because he was a very good teacher and had good sense of timing for comedy,” Frank said.

Pamela Shaw, an instructor at theatre arts, worked with Whittaker from 1982-1987 before she left City College.

“[Whittaker was] so generous and wonderful guy to talk to.” Shaw said, “[He was] very caring about students and about me as a really young faculty person to be very welcoming and made the transition not so scary.”

Shaw’s office used to be two doors down from Whittaker’s and she remembers his old-fashioned way of working and how he used to sit with his script and blank papers to clarify stage arrangements. She said he always had a complete image in his head before rehearsals.

Whittaker had two lovely dachshunds, which he loved dearly. More than anything, Whittaker loved his wife Lois, who passed in 1999.

Shaw said, “She had a great independent and fun spirit and he seemed very serious in a way, but he always had a twinkle in his eye.”

All Saints by the Sea Episcopal Church will hold a service remembrance for Whittaker at 2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 21 in Montecito.

In lieu of flowers, his family requested that donations in Professor Whittaker’s memory be made to Visiting Nurse and Hospice Care, the Humane Society, or Veterans of Foreign Wars.