Re “Culver High Hearts – Players’ and Adults’ – Ring Out for Coach Sanchez”
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Seniors Sarah Handler, left, and Benaisha Patel organized memorial for Coach Dave Sanchez. Photo, George N. Laase.
Instinctively, last Friday’s lunch-hour memorial for Coach Dave Sanchez around the Peace Garden at Culver City High School seemed like the right thing to do, said the student organizers, Sarah Handler and Benaisha Patel.
When the two Student Council members learned last Wednesday that the math teacher and coach had lost his year-long fight against pancreatic cancer, they turned to each other and said, mutually, “We should do something.”
“He is still with us,” said Ms. Handler as she completed preparations for the outdoor program that would begin in a few minutes.
When Ms. Patel or Ms. Handler spoke, enthusiastically and sadly, about losing one of the most popular teachers on campus, the other senior organizer nodded her assent.
“He was a really happy, positive teacher. So we want to bring his energy here again, and all of the hopes he had. The little jokes, too.”
A visitor could not help noticing a strand of silver and red cans of Diet Coke lining the perimeter of the Peace Garden.
“He lovvved Diet Coke. He brought one to every soccer game and every (math) class.”
Ms. Handler and Ms. Patel were asked what image forms when they hear the name “Dave Sanchez.”
They virtually responded in unison:
“I would say a smile. Yes, definitely.
“He was always smiling. Even when he announced to our (calculus) class (a year ago this month) that he had cancer, he still was laughing about it, trying to bring positive energy. He still, like, tried to make it fun.
“People were crying in our classroom. He kept trying anyway to make it fun.”
Recalling what the always-lighthearted Mr. Sanchez said on that fateful day:
“He said it was probably the Diet Coke that gave him the cancer.”
It was not a long address to the class when Coach revealed his sad news:
“He tried to make it a positive thing for us. Her didn’t want us to break down. He just kept trying to make us all happy. He kept saying, ‘It’s okay. I can fight this.’
“Then he told us stories about how his mom also had cancer, and this was another way of reassuring us that he knew what was coming, that everything was going to be okay.”
Yes, they did see Coach during the past year after illness forced his premature retirement.
“The day of our AP test for calculus, he came over and wished good luck to all of us. That was very nice. He definitely did not disappear. He has been going to all of our events. He went to the soccer games, and he tried to keep in touch with everyone.
“Even to the end, he kept saying, ‘You guys, it’s okay. Everything is fine.’
“That’s why the news came as such a shock to us.”
Culver High counselor Steve Gypes:
“When I think about Dave, I think of someone smiling, available always, genuine, cared about his profession and his students greatly.
“Quite a bright individual. Just a wonderful human being to be around.”
Easy to get to know?
“He was very open, not one of these people who were standoffish. His students responded to that, and I think his players did as well.”
