Eli Luria, once one of Santa Barbara’s major developers and a
longtime supporter of Santa Barbara City College, died over the
weekend at age 86 after a long struggle with cancer. In the 1970s,
Luria spearheaded the successful bond campaign to acquire what is
now City College’s West Campus. Since then, Luria served 27 years
as a college trustee, championing numerous fundraising efforts on
behalf of the school. Luria first became involved with the college
when his wife, an adult education pottery student, asked him to
donate a new kiln to the program.
