Richard Armstrong, professor of biological sciences at City College for 33 years, died of bacterial pneumonia on Tuesday, March 8. He was 67 years old. Armstrong leaves behind his wife, Sandra, daughter Jayna, and son, Tom.

“He was an unusual and colorful fellow,” said good friend Michel Masson, professor of biological sciences. “Certainly the most colorful in this department.”

Before coming to City College, Armstrong was the head diver at Bodega Marine Laboratory, worked in the computer industry and “was brought up to be a concert musician,” Masson said.

Armstrong road dirt bikes and rock climbed in the Yosemite Valley and at El Capitan. “He’d done a lot of things, a great diversity of things,” said Masson.

Armstrong received his bachelor’s degree at Sonoma State University and master’s degree at University of California, Santa Barbara. He worked at UCSB before coming to City College in 1972. He was hired full-time in 1975.

“He was a good friend,” said Masson. “I’m going to miss him.”

The memorial service will be at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 20 at the Winslow Maxwell Overlook, behind the Humanities Building. Instead of flowers, the Armstrong family said donations can be made to the Foundation for Santa Barbara City College in memory of Richard Armstrong to provide student scholarships in his name.