CSUN Professor Emeritus Honored for Distinguished Career

Cal State Northridge professor emeritus Lewis Yablonsky has been honored by the American Sociological Association for his distinguished career and serving as a role model for others interested in social work.

Yablonsky will receive his award during a special ceremony in Atlanta, Ga., next month.
Yablonsky said he felt privileged to receive the award.

“This particular award honors outstanding contributions to sociological practice. The award recognizes work that has facilitated or served as a model for the work of others,” Yablonsky said. “The award focuses on work that has significantly advanced the utility of one or more areas in sociology and, by doing so, has elevated the professional status or public image of the field as a whole. It also honors work that has been widely recognized outside the discipline for the significant impact it’s had, particularly in advancing human welfare.”

Yablonsky started teaching sociology and criminology at CSUN in 1963 and he retired in 1996. He has written approximately 16 books, has presented many lectures and papers at numerous academic conferences and today serves as an expert witness for the criminal justice system, in primarily gang juvenile court cases. He is currently working on his 17th book, Criminology: Into the 21st Century.

The knowledge Yablonsky has gained from the seven to ten thousand interviews he has conducted with gang members over the last 25 years has placed him in the unique position of understanding the dangers and nuances of the gang “culture.”

“I probably have a lot more to give now than ever before in my life. I’ve learned what it’s like to be the underdog,” Yablonsky said.

Contacts: John Ruiz orCarmen Ramos Chandler
(818) 677-2130 carmen.chandler@csun.edu