President of Cerritos College, Dr. Fierro emailed the faculty on Feb. 9 at 12 p.m. and told everyone the hard news, “we learned that classified employee Benjamin Pendleton passed away.”

Pendleton was a classified employee who was an Admissions and Records Analyst and had worked for the district since July of 1984.

“He was a fun an optimistic person,” Dr. Fierro said about Pendleton, “A positive person who cared about others and lived a happy and productive life.

Dr. Fierro can remember the conversations he had with Ben in the admin building, “He was always kind, happy and hilarious. We had laughs together over the years and I always saw him and honest and genuine.”

The Cerritos College president said his contagious laugh and some was his favorite memory of the Dec. 2020 Employee of the Month.

“He mentored many people at Cerritos College over the years,” Dr. Fierro said about the impact Ben made, “His knowledge of the institution was profound, and it was clear that he had always did his best.”

“While he is no longer with us physically, his legacy will stay with us for many years,” the president added, “The many people he mentored will keep Ben’s memories forever with us.”

Administrative Secretary Kim Applebury said that Ben was a wonderful colleague and is missed dearly.

According to the recent update email, there are donations being accepted through the Cerritos College Foundation for “The Ben Pendleton S Student Veteran Memorial Scholarship.”

“He [Ben] was a life-long philanthropist,” the donation message said, “Close to Ben’s heart for philanthropy were veterans […] he served nearly a decade as an advisor for the Cerritos College Student Veterans Club.”

“This scholarship has served numerous student veterans in their educational journey and is due in large part to one of their biggest allies on campus, Ben Pendleton.”

“We honor his ‘moose-sized’ heart, his devotion to veterans and his philanthropic legacy by re-naming the scholarship in his honor.”

Cerritos College is hosting a celebration of Ben’s life on Feb. 23 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. in the Student Center as they share their favorite memories and pay tribute to his contributions to Cerritos College.

Staff and Colleagues are advised to send a 30-second video before the event and will give grief counseling on Feb. 23 from 1:30 p.m. until 4:30 p.m. in the Multi-Purpose Building (MP 209 and 211).