Obituary of Stuart Samuel Phillips

Stuart was born in Oakland, CA on July 28, 1914 and passed away peacefully on November 19, 2010 in Tacoma, WA. He grew up in Oakland, graduating from Fremont High School in 1930, and attended the University of Calif. at Berkley, graduating in 1934 with a major in education. In college, he competed on the swimming, diving and water polo teams, earning a letter, and after graduation worked for the Red Cross swimming instruction program during the summers. He began teaching in the Oakland Unified School District after graduation, following in his mother’s footsteps. He received his master’s degree from Cal in 1940 and his doctorate of education in 1959. He became a principal and went on to become Assistant Superintendent of Elementary schools in 1955 and Superintendent of the school system in 1962. He married Dolores Zander in 1937 and they spent 67 wonderful years together, until her death in 2004. They began traveling the world in the 1940’s and were still actively traveling in their late eighties, visiting China and then Australia and New Zealand in one year. Stuart continued to teach swimming and to participate in water polo at the Oakland Athletic Club in the early years. Later, he took up tennis and skiing and enjoyed both with his family at the Berkley Tennis Club and the Oakland Ski Club at Donner Summit. He was an active member of the Freemasons and also Kiwanis during his time in Oakland. He went on to join the Scottish Rite and was elected to the 33rd degree, maintaining his membership for over 50 years. After retiring as Superintendent of Oakland in 1969 after 34 years with the school system, Stuart became the superintendent of the International School of Bangkok, Thailand. There, he and Dolores made many new friends and spent 6 wonderful years enjoying Thailand and traveling on vacations all over Asia and the world. They then returned to the USA and settled in Walnut Creek, CA. From there Stuart worked for the State Department for the next ten years and they traveled to China, Africa, South America and Eastern Europe, consulting with many International schools on curriculum and administrative problems or helping to found new schools, as in China and Eastern Europe. Stuart wrote a book for the International schools detailing organization and methods for operating and managing the schools. As always, they found time to travel to new countries and places. In all, they visited more than 80 countries on 6 continents and Stuart compiled over 20,000 slides of the places they visited. In later years they spent many an evening after dinner looking at the slides and reliving their travels. In 2001 they moved to Tacoma, WA and lived in Allenmore Condominiums on Cedar Street. Stuart continued to play golf, a pastime he learned in Thailand, and enjoyed the view of the 18th green from their living room. He became a member of the Tacoma Elks and enjoyed the fine restaurant many times, as well as using the swimming pool for regular exercise. After the death of his wife, Stuart enjoyed his condo and traveled to visit family in New Hampshire and to sun in Mexico. The last three years he spent at Laurel House in Tacoma where his smile, jokes and good humor continued to win new friends. Survivors are his sons Doug (Mary) of Lakewood, WA and Kent of Portland, OR; granddaughters Jennifer (Billy) Cheung and Alya Davidman; and great-grandson Matthew and great-granddaughter Hannah.