Herman A. Schwartz

Dr. Herman A. Schwartz "The Remarkable Herman Arthur Schwartz" Dr. Herman A. Schwartz, of Mill Valley, California died peacefully on January 12th, 2008, after a long struggle with Alzheimers. He is survived by his wife, the artist Leah Schwartz, sister Helen Fellenbaum, sons David and Peter, daughters- in-law Isis and Martha, his grandchildren, Angie, Anna, Jesse, Christopher, Leah, Anthony, and Julia; two nieces and five nephews; and his lifelong friend, Herb Rosen, as well as many friends and colleagues from his long association with Kaiser Medical. Herman was born in New York City on May 25th, 1920. During his childhood, he overcame great adversity. At 10, his mother died and he was sent to the Hebrew Orphan Asylum in New York City. Through it all, he developed strength of character that would propel him on to a full and long life. While at the orphanage, he cultivated his interest in the natural sciences, which led to a scholarship at Cornell at 17. After completing his studies, he came West to teach Botany and Biology at UC Berkeley. After teaching for several years, he returned to school, earning his medical degree from Harvard. He completed his residency at Mount Sinai in New York City and joined Kaiser Medical in 1954, where he practiced medicine for over 30 years. While there, Herman developed one of the first home care programs. He also helped pioneer in the field of oncology and became Head of the Oncology Department at Kaiser. Throughout his career and especially in retirement, he pursued his lifelong interest in botany, traveling to many parts of the world collecting plants, particularly succulents. He became a publisher and founded Strawberry Press, eventually publishing 10 volumes of the Euphorbia Journal and six more books including works on the Caudiciform and Pachycaul Succulents. He founded the Marin Bolinas Botanical Gardens where he developed one of the largest collections of succulents in the world. One of his greatest joys was sharing what he called "the innocent world of plants "with young people who visited him at his Bolinas Botanical Garden. Herman was a remarkable man, truly one of a kind! How do we memorialize such a man? When asked to sum up his outlook on life, he once said: "It is a wonderful world because I have done everything I have wanted to do." "How did I become so positive?" "Everything I have thought of in my life to date has worked for me." He called the Strawberry neighborhood of Mill Valley, where he lived for over 50 years, "A little slice of heaven." He will be missed by his family and friends. A memorial is being planned; please contact (415) 381-1326 or isis@schwartzandassociates.com