Carl Duane Fullbright On June 15, 2024, after a 23-year-long disagreement with prostate cancer, Carl Duane Fullbright passed away in his Arcata home in the comfort of family and friends. Born October 17, 1942, to Omar and JV Fullbright in Los Angeles, CA, Carl grew up in Pico Rivera with his parents and younger brother, Harrol, graduating from Sierra High School in 1960. Carl was an athlete who played football, ran track, wrestled, and surfed countless Southern California beaches.
After one too many moving violations, Carl ended up in front of a judge, who “suggested” that he enlist in the military. Convinced, he joined the Air Force, serving at multiple posts, including Cambria, California, and Kotzebue, Alaska. Carl considered these days as pivotal to his life because it was here that he “opened up a book and found that I had a brain.
” Upon returning home, this epiphany led him to attend UC Irvine, where he graduated with honors, and ultimately to a rewarding career in medicine. Graduating from the USC Keck School of Medicine in 1970, Carl became one of the first board certified emergency room physicians in the United States at Long Beach Community Hospital. It was there and at West Anaheim Medical Center that he met a group of physicians who became his lifelong friends.
During this time he also met the love of his life, Anita. In 1980, Carl and Anita moved to the Central Coast, where he continued his medical career at General Hospital in San Luis Obispo, served as .