Honorary Doctorate – Bakersfield
H. Dennis Beaver – Doctor of Laws
H. Dennis Beaver, Esq., is a pillar of the Central Valley community. Earning his bachelor's and master's degrees at CSUN and his law degree at Loyola Marymount University, he began his career as a deputy district attorney for Kern County, establishing its consumer fraud section. Following several years with the district attorney's office, he opened his own legal practice and has practiced family law in the Bakersfield area for more than 40 years.
Mr. Beaver is also a prolific journalist who uses his platform to advocate for greater legal literacy for the public. His syndicated column, “You and the Law," where he answers readers' legal questions, appears regularly in multiple newspapers. Currently, Mr. Beaver writes for Kiplinger.com, covering topics such as how to settle business disputes, navigate conflicts with neighbors and family members, and avoid timeshare swindles. He approaches the law with the aim of creating win–win outcomes, maintaining the philosophy that upholding fairness is more important than winning—both in the courtroom and in life.
With his wife, Anne, to whom he's been married for close to 50 years, Mr. Beaver established the Dennis and Anne Beaver Foundation, which funds study abroad opportunities in France for both CSU and community college students.
In recognition of his service to Kern County as an attorney, a journalist and a philanthropist, the Board of Trustees of the California State University and California State University, Bakersfield are proud to confer upon H. Dennis Beaver the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws.