Spring Break
SJSU says farewell to longtime professor
Ashley Johnson
Daily Staff Writer
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Mr. Unsinger lived what he taught, and taught what he loved. He came to San Jose State University in 1971 and taught courses on organized crime, terrorism, intelligence, white collar crime and police management.
"He was an instructor students remembered," said Inger Sagatun-Edwards, chair of the justice studies department.
Mr. Unsinger was a larger-than-life figure who would fill up a room with his jokes and his persona, she said.
His specialty was piracy on the high seas, especially in the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia, Sagatun-Edwards said.
Mr. Unsinger was also an expert in terrorism, police management, intelligence and organized crime, and was highly sought after by police agencies.
He was a consultant for the Australian Federal Police and law enforcement agencies in Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Taiwan.
Mr. Unsinger received the police medal grade two from the Republic of China and received a resolution from the California peace officers association, said Elias Abundis Castillo, president of the Council for Current Events Analysis.
He was an honorary police captain for the New Orleans Police Department and received the Outstanding Service Award from the Air Force reserve training corps at SJSU.
When the State Department advised against traveling to certain places, he would travel. He was an old-time explorer and would bring back souvenirs and stories, Sagatun-Edwards said.
"I can't think of a continent he hasn't been to," said his son Harry Unsinger.
"It's very hard to believe that he's gone because he was such a vibrant professor," Sagatun-Edwards said.
His greatest contribution to SJSU was his wit, his humor and his daredevil approach to the world, she said.
"He was quite the prankster - great sense of humor," Harry Unsinger said. "My father was a very funny man."
Not only was Mr. Unsinger a world traveler, but he was also an avid reader. He could finish a book in one day and loved reading books on historical facts, military history, intelligence and espionage, Harry Unsinger said.
The Washington Post and the Economist were two of his favorite reads but he also loved watching politics and would keep updated on current world events, he said.
SJSU students can learn from his life by continuing the search for knowledge.
"He's a lifelong learner. He never stopped learning history facts, reading opinions," Harry Unsinger said. "(He was) constantly in search of the truth."
Mr. Unsinger has written more than 200 book reviews and five books. He was in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1956 to 1959 and received a department award for excellence in professional growth from SJSU.
He received his bachelor's degree in history from Heidelberg University in Ohio and his master's degree, also in history, from McGill University in Montreal. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Idaho.
Mr. Unsinger is survived by four children, seven grandchildren and one sister.
"The world of law enforcement has lost a great expert and a wonderful compassionate and intellectual man," Castillo said. "His gregarious personality and wonderful smile will be terribly missed by all those who knew him, including myself."
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