In Memoriam

In Spring 2022, the department nominated Diaz for the University Hood undergraduate award, which celebrates top students’ academic excellence and special achievement. Sadly, the nomination coincided with Diaz’s diagnosis of myeloid sarcoma leukemia, a rare form of cancer.

Diaz was the daughter of Mexican immigrants and a first-generation Chicana-Latina scholar in both the Sociology and Race and Resistance Studies programs. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology in May 2022. Throughout her time at SF State, she experienced many hardships while, at the same time, excelling in her education and professional career, maintaining a 3.98 GPA and making the Dean's List during her four years on campus. Faculty members who knew her agree that she was an intellectual light and strong voice in their classes. In Sociology, she served as a teaching assistant, supporting her peers and starting to explore her love of teaching.

Diaz was selfless with her academic colleagues and  also served the public in different capacities. She brought a much-needed sociological lens to the Human Rights Commission of San Francisco when selected as a Willie L. Brown, Jr. Fellow. During her time there, she worked on numerous initiatives, campaigns and policies, such as the Dream Keeper Initiative, the Campaign for Solidarity, Equity Studies Task Force and diversifying the SFUSD literature to expand inclusive and cultural texts. Diaz used her educational experience to work on political congressional campaigns, talking to community members about the importance of their vote through canvassing and phone-banking. She worked on amplifying the voice of underrepresented communities and was a fierce advocate of young people, as evidenced by her contributions to the opening of integrated youth mental health facilities across California.

Born in Hungary, Schmid-Shapiro competed in the Olympics for her homeland in 1952 and ’56, earning a gold medal, two silvers and a bronze. She defected to the U.S. in 1956 and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in physical education and a Ph.D. in higher education from UC Berkeley. She came to SF State in 1963, serving as head coach of the women’s gymnastics team and teaching as a professor of Kinesiology. With her San Francisco State colleague, Blanche Drury, she brought gymnastics to California schools, teaching workshops, mentoring new coaches and guiding the development of the sport in our state. In her early days at San Francisco State, she taught gymnastic, rhythmic gymnastics and the gymnastics analyses courses for teacher preparation students. She also sponsored the Women’s Recreation Association. She went on to teach sport psychology at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Schmid-Shapiro was a superb advisor for both students and faculty. She had very high standards and expected others to work hard to develop their best abilities — and she supported them through the process. She was inducted into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2001.

Schmid-Shapiro is survived by her husband, Charles Shapiro; her daughter, Aniko Molnar; and two granddaughters.

Ritter was a dedicated educator, counselor and social justice activist. His many contributions include work with the LGBTQ+ community, the Palestinian community, the Academic Senate of the CSU and the California Faculty Association (CFA). Most noticeable were his accomplishments serving as program director of Prevention Education Programs (PEP) within Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). He ensured students had access to information, counseling and resources on HIV/AIDS alcohol and other drugs, and sexual violence. He was also a lecturer in the Department of Counseling and touched many lives through all the years of teaching. He retired in 2016 after 32 years of service.

Ritter embodied the spirit of SF State and the wider San Francisco community. He was warm, compassionate, generous and kind. His nonjudgmental approach helped people develop compassion for themselves. He lived life every day to the fullest and died doing what he loved, in the place he loved, with people that he loved, and for a cause that he loved.

“Michael is loved by so many colleagues and alumni in the Department of Counseling and the loss ripples deeply with us. We fondly remember his warmth, energy and tremendous clinical expertise,” said Department of Counseling Chair Rebecca Toporek. “We had the fortune of his collegiality and leadership in an undergraduate peer counseling program in a partnership between Counseling and Psychological Services and the Department of Counseling. Through that, he not only taught the courses but also supervised and mentored many of our graduate students who assisted with the class while interning as mental health counselors on campus at the Peggy Smith Clinic. Teaching the peer counseling classes, Michael also had a powerful influence on students in our Counseling minor who aspired to become peer counselors, and many eventually apply for graduate training in counseling. Michael greeted every one of us with a warm smile, good humor and compassion. His spirit will continue to be strong with us.”

Ritter is survived by his spouse, Peter Toscani, and sister, Karen Ritter. Memorial services are currently in the planning stages for November, and information will be widely shared when it is available.

Roberts joined the faculty at SF State in 2005 after spending 22 years of her career in the field. A Fulbright scholar, she joined the ranks of higher education from the National Park Service, where her employment stemmed from a graduate internship in the Intermountain Region while completing her Ph.D. at Colorado State University. At SF State, her leadership positions included serving as director of the Pacific Leadership Institute and, most recently, as the current faculty director of the Institute for Civic & Community Engagement.

Roberts was a prolific researcher and author of numerous publications in areas including outdoor programming and leadership, youth development, and race/culture and gender issues. She conducted youth development research with a variety of organizations, including the U.S. Forest Service, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and East Bay Regional Parks. Roberts also served on numerous boards, including Yosemite Institute, GirlVentures, UC Berkeley’s Institute for Parks, People, and Biodiversity and the Lawrence Hall of Science.

Memorial information will be available on the Department of Recreation, Parks & Tourism’s tribute page to Roberts.

Find out about the Dr. Nina Roberts Memorial Scholarship Endowment Fund.