Fresno City College unveiled a memorial bench commemorating the late Fresno City College President Tony Cantu on Sept. 1.
The bench was placed to honor Cantu’s 27 years of service, hard work and generosity for the State Center Community College District.
The memorial bench has a quote written by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe that reads: “Instruction does much, but encouragement everything.”
The quote was picked out by Cyndie Luna, communication arts department co-chair.
A collaboration between both the Academic Senate and Associated Student Government were important in making the memorial a reality.
The bench was proposed on April 2015, after Cantu died.

After ASG finalized the bench details, FCC Business Assistant Susi Nitzel was tasked with ordering the bench, which cost $1212.
Cantu played a huge part in fundraising many scholarships and programs designed to help students get through city college.
Vice President of Administrative Services Cheryl Sullivan worked with Cantu for 18 years and wants his legacy to continue at the college.
“We endowed a presidential medallion scholarship in his name,” Sullivan said. “He was almost exclusively the donor for the outstanding music performance scholarship and so we’re trying to get that one endowed, so his name and legacy is forever.”
Sullivan also described Cantu as man who carried a lot of charisma.
“He always said ‘hey buddy,’ patted you on the back and his quote was ‘another day in paradise’ which was always satirical,” Sullivan remembers. “He was concerned about taking care of the college and the future of the college.”