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| Frank Schwengel Photo Credit: Recreation and Parks |
A True Friend of Santa Monica
September 1, 1933 – July 31, 2012
SUSAN CLOKE
Columnist, Santa Monica Mirror
I feel so lucky to have known Frank. I will miss
him and his friendship. He was
decent, honorable, kind, honest, thoughtful, and caring. I remember the ease of working on the
Recreation and Parks Commission with him and I remember the good work we did
together. His life was all about making the world, and especially Santa Monica,
a better place.
After his 1955 graduation from the University of
Iowa with a degree in business he joined the Marine Corps where he served in
Okinawa. He came to Santa Monica
in 1962.
Frank began at the Boys and Girls Club of Santa
Monica as a basketball coach and was a lifelong volunteer, working with the
kids, planning programs and fundraising.
As a member of the their Congressional Relations Committee he traveled
to Washington D.C. and lobbied for the successful passage of a 450 million
dollar appropriation to fund the world wide work of the Boys and Girls
Clubs. He became of Member of the
Board of Governor’s in 1986 and was the Chair of the Board from 2000 through
2002.
When his own children were in school, he joined
the PTA, and became one the first men to be a PTA president, a position he was re-elected
to for 7 consecutive years. He was
a Member of the Desegregation Committee and District Title One Advisory Board
for the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District and the recipient of their Lifetime
Achievement Award.
An athlete himself,
he played college football at Iowa. Frank brought his love of sports with him
to Santa Monica and served as a Board Member of Santa Monica Little League from1980
to1986, coaching the team to three Championships. He was a Member and Chair of the Santa Monica Sports
Advisory Council, an Executive Board Member of Santa Monica Youth Athletic
Foundation and the Founder and President of International Youth Baseball
Foundation, an organization that sponsored 7 International Baseball exchanges with
Japan and Mexico.
Appointed to the Santa
Monica Recreation & Parks Commission in 1992, he served as chair of the
Commission when the City’s first Recreation and Parks Master Plan was written. He
brought his enthusiasm for sports and his dedication to helping children and
teenagers to the work of the Recreation and Parks Commission.
Barbara Stinchfield,
the long time Director of Community and Cultural Services, remembering him
said, “Frank gave more
than a decade of service to our community as a member of the City's Recreation
and Parks Commission and for many years as its Chair. He reflected the best of
what this community stands for. He was devoted to our youth and supported a
multitude of youth activities. He never said a negative word about anyone or
anything. I delighted in working with this most kind and wonderful member of
the Santa Monica community.”
Frank died of
cancer on July 31, 2012. His
longtime friend, Councilmember Bob Holbrook, said, “Frank was a wonderful man and a great husband and
father. He was devoted to helping his own kids in all of their activities and
to coaching other kids who were lucky enough to be on his Little League
teams. He was devoted to this
community and set a example with his endless hours of volunteering for kids. He
was my friend and I will always remember him.”
When he received the
Bank of America “Local Heroes Award” Frank spoke to the audience about his
father, who had been a U.S. Congressman from Iowa and a Republican voice
against the war in Vietnam, "My father always said life is lived best with
a smile and a helping hand. I just try to emulate my own father in my
life." Those of us who knew him knew he lived by his
father’s creed.
Frank exemplified a respectful leadership that
made the people who worked with him feel good about their contributions. He was a loyal friend, a dedicated
participant in the life of the community and a loving husband, father and
grandfather. Our sympathies go to
his wife, Gwen, and his sons, Robert, Kris and Kurt, to all of his family and
to all who will miss him.
A public memorial service will be held at the
Boys and Girls Clubs of Santa Monica at 4:00 pm on Friday, August 17, 2012. (Contact Jennifer LaBrie, jen@smbgc.org
or call 310.361.8544 for more information.)
The family of Frank Schwengel has established a
scholarship in his honor.
Donations may be made to:
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica
Schwengel Scholarship Fund
1220 Lincoln Blvd.
Santa Monica CA 90401
Schwengel Scholarship Fund
1220 Lincoln Blvd.
Santa Monica CA 90401
