Obituary of Thomas O. Schneider

Thomas O. Schneider, a history professor at Polk State Lakeland Collegiate High School since its inception--and a former Division I collegiate basketball coach--died unexpectedly on Tuesday, March 17. He was 68 years old. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Oscar J. and Florence F. Schneider (nee Dunn) on July 14, 1946, Schneider received his bachelor's degree in political science from Bucknell University, where he also played his favorite game, ending his career as the fifth leading scorer in the school's history. From Bucknell, Schneider went on to earn his master's in history from Georgetown University. While studying for the latter degree, Schneider began coaching basketball at American University, embarking on an unplanned career that would take him to head coaching positions at programs including Loyola College of Maryland, the University of Pennsylvania and Lehigh University, and assistant coaching jobs at Southern Methodist University, the University of Pennsylvania and George Washington University. In the mid-1980s, he led Lehigh to the first round of the NCAA Tournament, where he and his team faced off against Georgetown University, whose roster included emerging basketball legend Patrick Ewing. Two years later, Schneider took the University of Pennsylvania to the first round of the same tournament, where he and his team met up with the late Dean Smith and the University of North Carolina Tar Heels. Schneider's coaching career ultimately included four conference championship wins and invitations to four NCAA Division 1 tournaments. Schneider's coaching career ended in the mid-1990s. In the years that followed, he coached and taught at the high-school level, scouted for the Milwaukee Bucks, and spent some time in the business world, before joining Polk State Lakeland Collegiate High School in November 2005. For his expertise, both of basketball and history, Schneider commanded the respect of players and students. And in his passing, Schneider has left a void that Polk State Lakeland Collegiate Principal Sallie Brisbane doubts will ever be filled. "He was uniquely Tom," Brisbane said. "He was able to connect current events to historical events. That's how he engaged his students," she said. "It's like when you give peas to children, but you dress them up so that they don't even know they're eating something that's healthy for them. That's how he did with history." Schneider is survived by his daughter, Leslie S. Boen of Andover, New Jersey; his son-in-law Derek S. Boen, also of Andover, New Jersey; and his beloved grandsons Sean and Brendan Boen. Schneider's wife, Carol, preceded him in death just 12 days prior to his own passing. A funeral service is planned for early April in northern New Jersey. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the following: Polk State College Foundation 999 Avenue H, Northeast Winter Haven, FL 33881-4299 ATTN: Thomas Schneider/Lakeland Collegiate High School