Jim Schmidt, faculty/coach emeritus honored

University Liggett School recently concluded a special fundraising initiative to recognize Jim Schmidt, faculty/coach emeritus, who passed away unexpectedly last winter, by naming the home softball field dugout in his honor at a ceremony during the school’s Homecoming celebration.

The dugout naming campaign raised more than $100,000 with donations coming from the school’s parents, faculty, staff, friends of the school, alumni and parents of alumni  — many of whom Schmidt taught. During his more than 45 years at University Liggett School, he influenced thousands of students by serving as a mentor, coach and friend. In the 1970s, he started the school’s outdoor education program, each summer taking groups of middle and upper school students on geology trips out west. In addition to coaching girls’ softball for many years, he was known as the voice of ULS athletics, serving as the football and hockey game announcer for many years. 

Schmidt was posthumously inducted to the school’s Alumni Athletic Hall of Fame in September 2019.