Obituary of Gene Britt

In his 30 years on the faculty of Grossmont College, Gene Britt taught management for the first 8 years. In 1982 a pivotal event occurred. China had recently opened trade to the rest of the world. They invited Mr. Britt to teach the fall semester at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing. Upon his return to Grossmont College, he was asked to write the curriculum for an International Business program. He chaired that program until his retirement in 2003. In addition to supervising interns throughout the San Diego area, he started a customs broker license review course. And published the International Business Calendar, a summary of International Trade events in the community. In 1991, he was appointed by the US Secretary of Commerce to the San Diego District Export Council, a group who advises on increasing San Diego’s exports. Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, Mr. Britt received his bachelor’s degree from Weber State University where he was named Outstanding Management Graduate. He was recruited by Mountain Bell Telephone Company for their management program and assigned as manager over three cities in Central Utah. After three years, he decided to pursue a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Arizona State University. He was then recruited by Rohr industries of San Diego. He was appointed as Controller (CFO) of their subsidiary, San Diego Prestressed Concrete Company. He began teaching part-time and enjoyed it so much that he decided to join the Grossmont College faculty full time in 1975. In 2003 he retired and traveled throughout Southeast Asia. He lived in Bali, Indonesia for two years, Penang, Malaysia for one year, and finally settled in Thailand for 10 years. He especially enjoyed the ten years he spent as a benefactor for two orphanages in Cebu, Philippines. Over the years, he was able to travel to more than 100 countries. He wrote a book, Traveler888, to chronicle some of his more interesting travel experiences. Survived by his wife, Editha; brothers, Robert and Gregory; daughters, Lori and Gena; grandson, Nicholas; granddaughter, Madeline; and great granddaughter, Stella.