California’s Educators Mourn Tragic Death of Two of their Own who were Aboard the Conception
Contact Cyndi Menzel at 650-552-5323 or Gabriella Landeros at 323-406-3270
BURLINGAME – Teachers from Lincoln Unified School District, outside of Stockton, and Fremont Unified School District were among those killed in in the tragic Conception boat fire off the coast of Santa Barbara.
Raymond (Scott) Chan, a member of the Fremont Unified District Teachers Association (FUDTA), was with his 26-year-old daughter, Kendra, a wildlife biologist.
Angela Rose Quitasol, a member of the Lincoln Unified Teachers Association (LUTA), was with four members of her family: sisters Evanmichael and Nicole, father Michael, a nurse who formerly taught in the Stockton Unified School District, and stepmother Fernisa Sison.
CTA President E. Toby Boyd released this statement:
“The world lost two incredible teachers on Monday. Our hearts hurt for the families of Scott Chan and Angela Rose Quitasol, beloved and inspiring teachers who dedicated their lives to sharing their love for physics and science with their students. We join the Lincoln and Fremont education communities in mourning their loss in this sad and tragic event, and send their families and students healing prayers.”
CTA is supporting the local school districts’ efforts in providing support to students and teaching colleagues through the union’s Traumatic Assistance and Emergency Management Cadre.
FUDTA President Victoria Birbeck says colleagues are reaching out to the Chan family to assist in accessing member benefits and insurances provided by CTA and assisting district efforts to support Scott’s family and students.
LUTA President Tiffany Fuhrmeister says union members are raising funds to help with funeral arrangements for Quitasol’s family on GoFundMe.
LUTA is a small community and Quitasol was active in the union. This statement can be attributed to LUTA President Tiffany Fuhrmeister:
“Angela Rose Quitasol’s deepest passion in life was teaching. Her first priority was always to make sure her students felt safe and intensely loved. Beyond that, she believed it was her role as a teacher of science to bring life and joy to a subject that students often feel is difficult. Her teacher heart was filled to the brim each time a former student came to visit and share their life with her. She knew that was a gift and never took it for granted. Angela’s passion, light, and love filled every space she entered. We are fortunate that her spirit lives on in her family, friends and former students. We all have a little piece of her light within us and must remember to continue to shine through this tragedy.”
“Evanmichael, Angela’s sister, and her father, Michael, were staunch union supporters and often helped stand with teachers on picket lines,” she added.