FORMER SCHOOLS CHIEF CALLED FRIEND OF KIDS HEART ATTACK TRIGGERED BY BEE STING.Byline: Eric Leach Staff Writer FILLMORE - Neil C. Schmidt, a former schools superintendent in the communities of Fillmore, Thousand Oaks, Santa Monica and Malibu, died of a heart attack after he was stung by a bee in his avocado orchard. Schmidt, 63, was working in the orchard adjoining his home Dec. 15 when he was stung. Although his daughter, Sarah, injected him with epinephrine, he died of the heart attack apparently caused by an allergic reaction allergic reaction n. A local or generalized reaction of an organism to internal or external contact with a specific allergen to which the organism has been previously sensitized. to the bee sting bee sting injury caused by the venom of a honey bee (Apis mellifera). Multiple stings cause local swelling, pain and excitement, and may cause dyspnea if the head is affected. , said his wife, Julie Schmidt. She and his friends said Schmidt was admired by people throughout the community. ``He was my best friend and our children's best friend. He touched the lives of countless people,'' Julie Schmidt said. ``He listened to them and encouraged them to be the best that they could be, to think of the big picture. He wanted to make the world better for the children. He was all about equality, for everyone. He knew everyone's name.'' Schmidt was born on March 28, 1941, in Salinas Salinas, city, United States Salinas (səlē`nəs), city (1990 pop. 108,777), seat of Monterey co., W Calif.; inc. 1874. It is the shipping and processing center of a fertile valley famous for its grain and lettuce. , near his parents' home in King City, Calif. He received a bachelor's degree in 1964 from the University of California at Berkeley (body, education) University of California at Berkeley - (UCB) See also Berzerkley, BSD. http://berkeley.edu/. Note to British and Commonwealth readers: that's /berk'lee/, not /bark'lee/ as in British Received Pronunciation. , and a doctorate in 1975 from the University of California, Los Angeles UCLA comprises the College of Letters and Science (the primary undergraduate college), seven professional schools, and five professional Health Science schools. Since 2001, UCLA has enrolled over 33,000 total students, and that number is steadily rising. , in early childhood education. He worked as a teacher throughout California and became a school superintendent in the late 1970s in Santa Cruz. He was superintendent of the Fillmore Unified School District A unified school district is a school district which includes both primary school (kindergarten through middle school or junior high) and high school (grades 9-12). In Illinois, these districts are called unit school districts. between 1982 and 1987 and superintendent in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District is the school district for the cities of Santa Monica and Malibu, California. It has ten elementary schools, two middle schools, three high schools, an adult high school, and an alternative school. from 1992 to 2001, when he retired. Two years before he retired, the Schmidts bought their former house in Fillmore and returned to the Ventura County community, where Julie Schmidt is now a second-grade teacher at San Cayetano Elementary School. In 2002, Schmidt worked as an interim superintendent in the Conejo Valley Unified School District Conejo Valley Unified School District or CVUSD is a school district in Ventura County. It serves Thousand Oaks, California and its subsections Newbury Park and Westlake Village. . Lynn Edmonds, a former principal at Piru Elementary School who was hired by Schmidt and became a close family friend, said he had a great sense of humor Noun 1. sense of humor - the trait of appreciating (and being able to express) the humorous; "she didn't appreciate my humor"; "you can't survive in the army without a sense of humor" sense of humour, humor, humour and sincere interest in others. ``He would encourage people in whatever they needed to improve their lives and do what he could to help. He worked to get a community library for Piru. He believed in the whole community.'' The Schmidts had two daughters: Sarah, who returned in September from the Peace Corps in Panama, and Corrie, who is a teacher in Davis. Julie Schmidt said a gathering for family and friends to celebrate her husband's life will be held at their home in Fillmore on Jan. 15. Information about the gathering may be obtained from Lynn Edmonds at (805) 524-4839. A Neil Schmidt fund has been established to help children of Fillmore at the Ventura County Community Foundation, 1317 Del Norte Road, Suite 150, Camarillo, 93010. Eric Leach, (805) 583-7602 eric.leach(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: SCHMIDT |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion