Ron Berz; Former Taft High School Principal

Despite having a brain tumor that forced his retirement from a 38-year career in education, Ron Berz worried more about others than he did about himself.

The 62-year-old Tarzana resident succumbed peacefully in his home Thursday morning to the malignant growth that had ravaged his brain for two years. He was described by friends and colleagues as selfless and inspiring.

His wife, Jacqueline, also an educator, and his son, Andrew, were by his bedside when he died, surrounded by fresh roses and the sounds of “Madame Butterfly,” his family said.

“He showed tremendous courage fighting this,” Jacqueline Berz said. “My sadness is that his life was cut short before he could really find time for himself.”

Berz spent 14 years as principal at Taft High School in Woodland Hills before he was diagnosed with the tumor in 1998. When he abruptly stepped down from the post, his departure came as a striking blow for the faculty who considered him the consummate father.

“He always believed in the concept of ‘family,’ ” said Taft art teacher Kathi Flood-Martin. “His world was right here in this neighborhood. This was his whole life.”

Berz was born Dec. 23, 1937, in Chicago and moved to California when he was 18. He received both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from USC and began working for the Los Angeles Unified School District. He served as an assistant principal at Locke High School in South-Central Los Angeles, where he met Robert Collins, who became Berz’s understudy. Collins, who is now assistant superintendent of the school district, said he still reveres many of the lessons he learned from Berz.

“There isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t think about Ron and what he would do if he was in my situation,” Collins said. “He had more knowledge on how to run a school than any other individual I know. I was fortunate to have someone like Ron to take me under their wing and guide me.”

Berz left Locke to become principal of Monroe High School in North Hills, where he served for nine years before moving to Taft.

During his time at Taft, the school won national Academic Decathlon competitions in 1989 and 1994.

The school honored Berz last year by naming the administration building after him. Taft Principal Myra Fullerton said students and teachers were informed of Berz’s death Thursday as the last bell rang.

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Berz’s impact was felt from coast to coast. Andrew, his 31-year-old son, remembers running into someone at the White House several years ago who recognized the family’s last name.

“I was on one of those tours and I signed my name on a sheet,” he said. “One of the staffers there saw my last name and wondered if I knew Ron Berz. The guy said his brother had gone to Monroe and remembered my dad.”

Berz is survived by his wife, his son, Andrew, of Oakland; two daughters, Janelle Giorgio of Lake Forest and Deborah Minyo of Benicia; two brothers, Robert Berz of Tarzana and Donald Berz of Upland; and two grandchildren.

Funeral services are set for Sunday at 9 a.m. at Mt. Sinai Memorial Park Chapel in Los Angeles. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the local chapter of the American Cancer Society.