Remembering Quentin P. Schwarz

Today I learned that we have lost a lifelong member, mentor, and friend, Quentin Schwarz.

His family is planning a summer memorial, and I will share that information when it is available.

The evidence of the impact that Quentin Schwarz has had on the Waukegan Yacht Club is on the entry wall, in dozens of photos and historical documents,  in a structure housing the supplies and equipment for WYCYF JuniorSAIL, on my own heart, and on the hearts of a multitude of members who he personally mentored into sail racing and boat ownership.

Quentin Schwarz joined as a second-generation member of the Waukegan Yacht Club in 1974 and followed family tradition, becoming a second-generation Commodore in 1986; his father had been our Commodore in 1947. Outside of the club, Quentin Schwarz is known as a forever Waukegan resident who was a teacher at Whittier Elementary School.

My personal memories of Mr. Schwarz begin at a young age when he gave me my first WYC Junior Sailor’s T-shirt at the end of my second year of classes. He and Deanna invested a great deal of their volunteer time in our junior program. In fact, the Schwartz’ teamed up with the Bach and Vick families to convince manager Mike Urban to support the creation of the very first Annual Spaghetti Dinner to raise funds to support the program, an event that continues and will be in April this year.

Quentin also planned and organized everything necessary to build the garage, eliminating the need to store Junior Sailing and Frostbiting dinghy equipment in the frequently waterlogged basement. My memories of rigging out of the basement are vivid, and the transition to the garage was more than a blessing for frostbiting racers and the children and grandchildren of members. It made it much easier to expand the outreach of the junior program.

 In a few short years, the number of kids sailing with me in classes whose parents did not sail outnumbered our “member’s kids” 4 to 1. With typical summer numbers now being 70 to 100 kids, it is clear to me that the growth and the longevity of junior sailing in our harbor would not have been possible without that garage.

As I write this message, I know that tomorrow I will remember a dozen more things that I should have shared. Later this week when members he mentored gather at WYC to share stories, and when I next see my parents, his wife Becky, and his children, Quentin, Julie, Jamethon, and Sally, I know I will be reminded of even more that should be shared about all he did to spread the joy of sail racing.

I will do my best to collect stories and encourage others to do the same. Until then, I share this sad news and ask our member community to think of Quentin and watch for information and requests to support his family in the coming months.

With warmest regards,

Nikki Sullivan