STERN, Harold

STERN, Harold (c. 1927-1987), 60, drowned while diving at Santa Catalina Island on Saturday, June 6, 1987.

In the News~

June 9, 1987 [Santa Maria Times]: “Former Righetti official drowns. Harold Stern, a Santa Maria psychologist who served as vice principal of Righetti High School in the mid-1960s, drowned while diving off Catalina Island Saturday. He was 60. A native of New York City, Stern served as a professor at Oberlin College in Ohio before he moved to California in the 1960s. He came to Santa Maria in 1965 to take a job at Righetti. There, he worked under Clark Miller who served at the time as the school's principal. "He was always willing to give of his time and energy to people," Miller said. "He had a great sense of humor and was a very kind person." In 1968 Stern left Righetti to work on his doctorate, which he received from USC in 1970. He then began practicing as a psychologist, dividing his practice between Santa Maria and Beverly Hills. A member of several professional organizations in Santa Maria and Los Angeles, Stern was also a member of the Temple Beth El, where he served on the board of directors and was a member of the Rabbi Search Committee. "He was a kind, gentle man who was very close to everybody in the community," said Marty Berkowitz, a temple member who had served on the board with Stern. Memorial services were scheduled tonight at Temple Beth El.”