Hayakawa, << `hah` yah KOW ah, >> S. I. (1906-1992), an American educator, became an internationally known expert on semantics (the study of the meaning of words). His many writings include the books Language and Action (1941)—later retitled Language in Thought and Action—and Symbol, Status, and Personality (1963). Hayakawa became acting president of San Francisco State College (now San Francisco State University) in 1968 and served as its president from 1969 to 1973. In 1968, he gained national fame for his firm stand against student strikers who tried to close the college. Hayakawa, a Republican, represented California as a United States senator from 1977 to 1983.
Samuel Ichiye Hayakawa was born on July 18, 1906, in Vancouver, Canada, to Japanese immigrants. He graduated from the University of Manitoba and earned graduate degrees at McGill University and the University of Wisconsin. In 1954, he became a U.S. citizen. He joined the faculty of San Francisco State College in 1955. Hayakawa died on Feb. 27, 1992.
