EL SEGUNDO HERALD August 30, 2018 Page 3
Eagles Mourn the Loss of Chuck
By Gregg McMullin
In everyone’s life, someone unforgettable
makes a lasting impact on us. It could be a
teacher, a coach or a true friend. When Chuck
Shaffer -- known to his family as Charles
-- entered our lives in 1981, he became all
three to hundreds and hundreds of athletes
and thousands of students at El Segundo High
School and our community. Chuck Shaffer
was so beloved and adored over the past 36
years that his passing, after a long illness,
has sent shockwaves through our community.
Chuck was so popular and liked that if there
were a Mount Rushmore of El Segundo High
icons, you can bet his face would be chiseled
alongside John Stevenson, Urho Saari, Keith
Erickson and Kemer Brett… so you get the
idea what Chuck meant and how important
he was to our community.
There aren’t many people we know that if
you just say their first name, you’ll instantly
recognize who they are. Everyone knew who
Chuck was -- school administrators, the
student body, the players at each level, our
community and especially the coaches. He
touched us with his dedication, his knowledge
and most of all his friendship. Helping us
with his passion, we were part of his family
and he was certainly a part of ours. Chuck
was named as the grand marshal of the
Homecoming Parade, had the high school
yearbook dedicated to him, was presented
with a letterman’s jacket with seven CIF
championship patches on it, and was the
“Dude Be Nice Project” recipient.
So how did Chuck arrive at El Segundo
High School to volunteer for the football,
basketball and baseball programs that spanned
36 volunteer years? It started, of all places,
at Beverly Hills High School helping out
with the football team that Jack Reilly was
coaching. Reilly was Beverly’s football coach
when Chuck showed up one day at practice
and asked if he could help out in any way.
Chuck would spend the next three years doing
the behind-the-scenes things for the football
program. When Coach Riley was hired by El
Camino College to head the football program,
Chuck followed. “One of the duties that
Chuck had during games was to watch my
young son on the sidelines so he wouldn’t
get hit by a player going out of bounds.
Chuck would say, ‘I’ll take care of him,’”
Reilly said. Chuck’s loyalty, unselfishness,
honesty and love to be just part of the team
meant so much to Reilly and the players.
“He never asked for anything in return but
just to be around the team,” Reilly added.
Chuck would continue helping out for the
next 35 years at El Camino.
Reilly and Steve Newell, the legendary El
Segundo High School football coach, knew
each other from their teams playing against
each other. The two became close friends.
Reilly called Newell and said Chuck wanted
to help out at a high school program and
wanted to assist at El Segundo doing the
same things he did at Beverly Hills and El
Camino College. Newell gladly said yes.
When Chuck showed up at an El Segundo
football practice in the summer of 1982, he
spoke to Newell (who is now retired and
lives in the state of Washington). “Chuck
asked me after practice if he could bring
sodas for each of the players,” Newell said.
“I said, ‘Yes, but there are over 40 players.
Are you sure?’” Newell said that Chuck didn’t
hesitate and returned with enough sodas for
everyone. He added that Chuck continued to
bring after-practice refreshments leading up
to the first game of the season. Prior to the
first game, Chuck sponsored a barbecue for
the entire team, coaches, cheerleaders and
some parents. He was officially an Eagle.
The bond between Newell and Chuck grew
into a special friendship. They talked about
movies and players on the team. The bond
was evident when Newell entrusted Chuck
with game-day footballs and management
of the balls during the games. “Chuck was
part of the program and he attended all the
coaches’ meetings,” Newell recalled. “He
was so methodical and detailed, especially
with the footballs. He made sure the pressure
of the balls benefited our quarterbacks and
made sure the kicking balls had enough air
in them.”
Eventually Newell stepped down as head
coach, but Chuck kept in constant contact
with him when he relocated to Seattle.
“Chuck would send me the end-of-the-year
Chuck Shaffer was an icon who helped the El Segundo High School
football, basketball and baseball teams since 1981.
(Photo credit: Marcy Dugan)
football program along with critiques on
movies,” Newell said. “I’ll miss his Friday
night football score update calls and the
gentle spirit of a truly good human being.”
Chuck continued his duties as the team’s
manager with Craig Cousins, who took over
the head coaching position in 1992-1993.
Coach Cousins, who was also the assistant
baseball coach at the time, had already
befriended Chuck when the latter was helping
out with the baseball team.
Cousins remembers meeting Chuck in
1984 at a home baseball game. Coach John
Stevenson and Cousins knew Chuck had
been helping the football team. When Chuck
showed up at a game and started arranging
the bats and helmets, each one of them
thought the other had asked Chuck to join
the team. It wasn’t until some 10 games
into the season that they asked each other
if they had brought Chuck aboard. By then,
it didn’t matter. Chuck had cemented his
position with the baseball team. It was years
later that Chuck would start a longstanding
tradition of bringing large bags of peanuts
to the games for the players.
Cousins and Chuck worked together for
over 30 years with the baseball program.
They became close friends and would often
go to movies when the baseball team was
on a road trip. Those road trips during the
high school season meant going to San Luis
Obispo, or to Spokane or Montana during
the summer. “We’d often go to movies and
of course Chuck would be the movie critic,”
Cousins said.
Cousins said of Chuck, “He was a kind
and caring man who put the players and
coaches above his own needs. His honesty
and generosity knew no bounds and the only
things he sought from us was to be respected
and part of the team.”
Steve Shevlin, who has been the football
coach for the past 25 years, had Chuck on
the sidelines with him managing balls and
helping out from day one. Shevlin said that
Chuck was so meticulous about having the
footballs dry that the latter made sure there
was a ball dryer on the field and lots of
Wiseburn School Board Hears
District Demographic Presentation
By Duane Plank
Last Thursday evening, the assembled
members of the Wiseburn School Board were
privy to a 20-minute presentation touting the
analytic tools and experience of DecisionInsite,
a company that works with school districts
to “provide a unique fusion of technology,
analytics and expertise.” The goal is to help
Wiseburn Unified School District decisionmakers
effectively make informed, data-driven
recommendations when dealing with enrollment
issues – which in turn greatly impact
California school district funding.
DecisionInsite Business Development Representative
Kelly Stevens made the presentation.
The Irvine-based company has been working
with school districts since its inception in 2004,
utilizing cloud-based platform and pinpointed
analytics to aid districts as they master-plan
for their future wants and needs.
Stevens demonstrated the system software
capabilities for the Board members, using the
compiled data of one of the DecisionInsite
clients -- the La Habra Unified School District.
Stevens compared La Habra to Wiseburn. She
talked about the detailed reports and data that
her company, if selected by the Board, can
supply to help drill-down future decisions
and challenges that will face the current as
well as future members. In wrapping up her
presentation, Stevens noted that if DecisionInsite
is selected as Wiseburn’s “demographer,”
it would train District IT professionals on
implementing the new system.
Board member questions included those
involving safety and security of the supplied
information. Stevens said that her company’s
site had never been hacked. “It’s our business,”
she said, “to make sure that we are safe.”
Prior to the meeting, new Wiseburn Superintendent
Dr. Blake Silvers said that the District
is looking to upgrade and repair current facilities
and bolster ongoing programs at school
sites. He spoke of the desire to “involve the
community” in creating the District’s master
plan, and that, hopefully, a demographer will
be involved in that plan’s development.
The demographer, Silvers said, would help
forecast enrollment numbers in the upcoming
years, utilizing advanced metrics and analytics.
These forecasts would be very useful to
the District as decisions are made to evaluate
school sites, possibly change boundaries and
grade configurations, plan for staffing needs,
prepare budgets, and maximize facility utilization.
“We want the [master] plan,” Silvers
said, “to be a multi-year plan.
The Board members and administrators
then made their informational reports with all
embracing the new school year. Vice President/
Clerk Roger Banuelos spoke of positive
developments with the new Da Vinci High
meal program -- implemented by Chartwells
-- for the first-time at the campuses, and
thanked all who have supported the program.”
President JoAnne Kaneda added that she was
“glad to be working with Blake,” and that
she was looking forward to the opening of
the aquatics center. Deputy Superintendent
Dr. Chris Jones mentioned attending a recent
active shooter training event involving Palos
Verdes’ school district, reiterated the support
and success of the new Da Vinci High meal
program, and gave an update on sports at the
Da Vinci schools, which held their first day
of classes on Aug. 12.
Of the partnership with food provider Chartwells,
which began in Wiseburn lower-level
schools three years ago, Jones emailed that when
the District first contracted with the company,
“there was a significant improvement in food
quality, and participation nearly doubled. The
students seem very happy!”
During his report, Director of Facilities
Planning Vince Madsen noted that remaining
Wiseburn High site “construction is moving
along, [though] we are still having some challenges.”
One challenge is figuring cut whether
the new soccer field surface will consist of
synthetic turf or grass. Madsen and his team
are facing challenges with the dirt base of
the field.
Madsen added that Sept. 29 will be the
aquatics center ribbon-cutting, with the official
grand opening still to be decided. He spoke
about Phase II change orders that were brought
to the Board for approval and mentioned
long-term facility planning. He said work
is ongoing on the gymnasium construction,
with a firm opening date not specified at this
time. He also talked about the progress being
made on clearing the staging area that is the
soon-to-be soccer field.
Silvers then made his report, talking about
a District “fire issue” that had taken place
earlier in the day and was successfully dealt
with in a timely manner. He talked of attending
a recent Wiseburn Educational Foundation
(WEF) meeting, and how that group’s support
was much appreciated. New teachers started
work on Aug. 15, he noted. Silvers also
spoke of the new teachers’ enthusiasm and
“engagement.” He lauded the administrators
and teachers who worked hard over the summer,
utilizing professional opportunities made
available since the final school bell chimed
back in June.
Monday, Aug. 27 was a professional development
day for District teachers, with 12
new instructors and elementary and middle
school students returning to the classroom the
following day. “We are excited,” Silvers said,
“about the new additions to our team.” On
Wednesday, Silvers and his team put together
a barbecue for the staff, and he gave his initial
“State of the District” address at Dana Middle
School -- where he announced the selections
of teacher and classified employee of the last
school year.
Silvers called this “a real optimistic time”
for Wiseburn. “It has been amazing to watch
the teachers work in their professional development
sessions,” he said. He labeled it “a
blessing” to work with “teachers so committed
to their craft.”
Next on the Thursday evening agenda
were the action items, which included facilities
updates as the work continues on
Phase II of the new Wiseburn High project.
Silvers said things continue to move along
as construction continues on the aquatics
center, gymnasium and soccer field. “We are
still looking good,” Silvers said, alluding to
the work on the northwest quadrant of the
Douglas Street facility. “It’s looking nice
over there…very clean.”
One of the fiscal action items passed by
the Board included funding and a continuing
partnership with WEF, which, Silvers noted,
provided the District with more than $170,000
during the past school year. The STEM and
Arts programs especially benefited. “It’s a
wonderful partnership,” Silvers said.
Silvers added that the WEF, currently helmed
by Executive Director Carolyn Niman and
President Debbie Felt, has a “very savvy and
committed board,” calling the members “really
good people who engage in our community
in a positive way. Just a blessing.”
The next regularly scheduled meeting of the
Wiseburn School Board is slated to commence
at 7 p.m. on Thursday evening, Sept. 13, and
will take place on the first floor of the new
Wiseburn High School.•
“The roots of education are bitter,
but the fruit is sweet.”
– Aristotle
See Sports, page 4