Born in Eureka, California, H. Brett Melendy (1924-2008) spent most of his life in California and Hawaii. He received his Master of Arts in Education in 1948 and his Doctorate in History in 1952 from Stanford University. During this time, he also taught high school in Fresno, California. Melendy began his academic career as a history professor at San José State College in 1955. He served in several positions including: Academic Council Faculty Chair; Associate Academic Vice President; Dean of Undergraduate Studies; History Department Chair; History Professor; Interim Academic Vice President; and University Archivist. Melendy also spent some of his academic career as an administrator and history professor in the University of Hawaii system in the 1970s. Melendy's published works include Chinese and Japanese Americans (1984); Asians in America: Filipinos, Koreans, and East Indians (1977); and The Governors of California: Peter H. Burnett to Edmund G. Brown (1965), as well as numerous scholarly articles.

In 1983 Melendy was appointed as the University Archivist from 1983-1987 on a half-time basis, while also maintaining half-time responsibilities as the Director of the Engineering Institute in the Engineering Department. In this role, Melendy organized and conducted oral history interviews of select San José State University administrators and faculty. In 1987 the University Archivist position was eliminated. From 1987 to 1994, Melendy continued to work in the History and Engineering Departments, and in 1993 he was awarded Professor Emeritus status.