Friends, colleagues remember Neil Schanker
By Sibyl Walski
Amidst tears and laughter, friends, students and colleagues
shared their memories of College of the Siskiyous biology
instructor Neil Schanker, who died August 1 in a fall during a
hiking trip in Oregon.
A slide show of his life - and
looking through his eyes via a collection of his nature
photographs - and a video of a hiking trip with Schanker went
some of the distance to capturing the spirit and vision of the
man.
To the large group gathered on the college lawn to
remember once again the man who walked among them, befriended
them and taught them for 12 years, he was still very much a
presence.
Schanker had been hired to replace the head
of the biology department. Ken Goehring, who had been on the
hiring team, was looking for a “true naturalist” to replace
another one, apparently not an easy find.
Schanker
passed the test on many counts. He loved nature - all of
nature - and learning about things - all things, and in
microscopic detail.
A master birder, he once took a
trip to Belize for the pleasure of spotting a single
bird.
Pared to the essence, their experience of him is
of an enthusiastic student who delighted in discovery, a
gifted teacher, active volunteer in humanitarian and
environmental causes, nature photographer, climber, hiker
extraordinaire and engaged friend who encouraged the interests
of others, and remembered them when he made related
discoveries.
One man will remember “how unencumbered he
was from all the things we stress about.”
A woman wept when she realized she would never see him
smile at her again. Yet others remembered his positive and
friendly energy.
Lynda Zehsazian observed, “This was a
man who might have died doing what he loved, but after
listening to what everyone has been saying, I see that he also
lived doing what he loved, and that is his gift to us - his
example. It is the lesson I will carry with me.”
A
teacher to the end, was Neil Schanker. He would have liked
that. |
