Mace Perona Remembered
Mace Perona
Mace Perona (1939-2016) began teaching at SBCC in 1966 as a faculty member in the English, Composition and Literature Department. He created a course called “Literature in Film” which became the foundation of the Film Studies Program (now the Department of Film and Media Studies) in 1991. Professor Perona was the sole full-time faculty member for the first ten years of the Film Studies Program and was responsible for the program’s growth and development into a full department offering a total of 24 courses leading to an accredited Associate’s Degree in Film and Media Studies. During his thirty-eight year tenure at Santa Barbara City College Professor Perona was an educational pioneer. He taught writing classes to inmates at Santa Barbara County Jail, served a judge for the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, did sabbatical work at Columbia University, and lead international study programs in England and France. Through his work and innovation, Professor Perona left a lasting legacy at SBCC.