Iris Engstrand

Iris Higbie Wilson Engstrand
Iris H. Wilson in 1963
Born(1935-01-09)January 9, 1935
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
DiedSeptember 12, 2026(2026-09-12) (aged 91)
Known forScholarship on California history and 18th-century Spanish exploration
AwardsOrder of Isabella the Catholic (2007)
Academic background
EducationUniversity of Southern California (BA, 1956; MA, 1957; PhD, 1962)
ThesisScientific Aspects of Spanish Exploration in New Spain during the Late Eighteenth Century (1962)
Donald C. Cutter
Academic work
DisciplineHistory
Sub-discipline
History of California; Spanish exploration; History of New Spain
InstitutionsUniversity of San Diego; University of Southern California; Long Beach City College

Iris Higbie Wilson Engstrand (January 9, 1935 – September 12, 2026) was an American academic. She was professor of history at University of San Diego from 1968 until 2017; she joined the faculty of the San Diego College for Men before it and other colleges joined to form the university in 1972.

Life and career

Born was born in Los Angeles, California, on January 9, 1935, she earned her B.A. (1956), M.A. (1957), and Ph.D. (1962) in history from the University of Southern California. Her dissertation topic was "Scientific Aspects of Spanish Exploration in New Spain during the Late Eighteenth Century," and was supervised by Donald C. Cutter. She began her teaching career in the Huntington Beach High School from 1957 to 1959, and then worked as a translator of Spanish manuscripts for the Los Angeles County Museum, 1959–60. She became a lecturer at the University of Southern California in 1962, and an instructor at Long Beach City College in 1962.

Engstrand specialized in the history of California and Spanish exploration during the 1700s, and as of 2017 had written about twenty books on those subjects.

She served on the board of directors of the Maritime Museum of San Diego. Engstrand also served as co-editor of the Journal of San Diego History, 2004–2014; president of the Western History Association, 2004–2005; and in 2007 was awarded the Order of Isabella the Catholic by the government of Spain for her contributions to the field of Spanish history.

Engstrand died on September 12, 2026, at the age of 91.

Selected works

References

  1. 1 2 "History with Class". USD Magazine. 27 January 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 Leong, Karen J. "Past Presidents: Iris H. Wilson Engstrand (1935- )" (PDF). Western History Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-04-10. Retrieved 2017-04-09.
  3. ↑ ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global database.
  4. 1 2 "Wilson, Iris Higbie," in Historians of Latin America in the United States, 1965: Biobibliographies of 680 Specialists. Ed. Howard F. Cline. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1966, 95.
  5. ↑ Brennan, Deborah Sullivan (1 September 2015). "Studying San Diego: from Old World to New". San Diego Union-Tribune.
  6. ↑ "Iris Engstrand, known as San Diego's preeminent historian, dies at 91". The San Diego Union-Tribune. 23 September 2026. Retrieved 23 September 2026.
  7. ↑ Enstrand, Iris (1 December 1999). Inspired By Nature: The San Diego Natural History Museum After 125 Years. San Diego Natural History Museum. p. 250. ISBN 978-0918969040.