Rudy Schafer, a pioneering California conservationist and educator widely acclaimed for launching innovative programs to teach young people about the environment, died Thursday. He was 80. The cause was complications from skin cancer, said his wife, Natalie Schafer. Mr. Schafer was a teacher and part-time national park ranger when he became the first environmental education director for the California Department of Education in 1967. He brought together educators, conservationists, industry and government agencies responsible for natural resources to create environmental learning programs for schools. He administered grant funds generated by environmental license plates and started the Student Environmental Merit Award Program with California first lady Nancy Reagan as chairwoman. In 1973, he founded the Western Regional Environmental Education Council, a joint group of education and natural resource officials in 13 states. The council started Project Learning Tree, which shows schools, zoos, aquariums and others ways to increase environmental literacy in kindergarten through 12th grade. "Rudy created a network of people dedicated to creating environmental awareness among young people," said Kathy McGlauflin, senior vice president of Project Learning Tree. "His idea was to show young people how to think, not what to think." The regional group grew nationwide to become the Council on Environmental Education and spawned similar efforts, including Project WILD, Project WET and Flying WILD. All together, the programs have trained hundreds of thousands of teachers, reaching millions of students in the United States and other countries, officials said. "I don't know how many people can claim that kind of legacy," said board member Bill Andrews of the California Environmental Education Foundation. "Rudy was one of the founding fathers of environmental education in this country." Mr. Schafer was appointed by President Richard Nixon to a federal advisory panel on environmental education. He was a past board member of the National Wildlife Federation and recipient of the top honor given by the North American Association for Environmental Education. He retired from the state Department of Education in 1987. Despite his international reputation, Mr. Schafer was an affable, unassuming man whose business card identified him as an antique collector. With his wife, he owned Folsom Mercantile Antique Mall on Sutter Street. The couple also produced the California Capital Show of Post Cards and Paper Collectibles, a Sacramento event that twice yearly draws hundreds of history buffs seeking rare and vintage legal documents, posters, books, letters and photographs. "He has so many collections of so many things," Natalie Schafer said. "He loved going to flea markets and antique stores and garage sales. Every Saturday morning, he'd be gone." Rudolph John Henry Schafer was born in 1927 in Los Angeles. He graduated from Hollywood High School, served in the Navy and married Natalie Stockwell in 1949 while earning a bachelor's degree in education and journalism from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He taught sixth grade in Los Angeles schools, earned a master's degree in education administration from the University of Southern California and worked as a school district public information officer. To make ends meet, he worked summers as a ranger at Olympic National Park in Washington state. He brought environmental lessons back to the classroom and became a conservationist before moving to Sacramento to join the state Department of Education. "Rudy changed the way the environment is taught, from a study of methodology to getting students to think about their role and relationship with the environment," said Kay Antunez of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. "He engaged young learners to become aware of their surroundings." |
