UCLA alumna Roz Scherer, 61, passed away on Nov. 7 after complications following surgery for brain cancer.
Scherer worked for UCLA for the past seven years, most recently as the director of student relations for the Student Alumni Association.
Born Rosalind Cecile Penn, Scherer came to Los Angeles when she was 17 years old and married childhood sweetheart Ron Scherer in 1968. She graduated from UCLA in 1976, and received a masters degree in business administration from the University of Judaism.
She was passionate about her faith, her alma mater and her family, which included her son Robert.
“Her love was education, travel and family. Her love for family included her extended family in her synagogue and at UCLA,” Ron Scherer said.
Though she worked as a paralegal for many years, Roz Scherer told her husband she always wanted to return to UCLA.
“She said the perfect way to end her career would be back at UCLA. It was something she had always wanted to do,” her husband said.
Roz Scherer was a person who looked out for her students. Kiyoshi Tomono, a former board president of the Alumni Scholars Club, said Scherer helped keep him organized back when he was a frazzled student pressed for time.
“I would always leave something behind in the office. She actually created a drawer in her cubicle for me, and named it after me. I went there to look for my stuff ““ my wallet, binders, anything ““ and it was always there,” Tomono said.
Tomono, who graduated in 2004, worked with Scherer throughout his time at UCLA. He remembers her as someone who constantly rallied for the school and who became involved in the lives of all the people with whom she worked.
“(She was) really caring, really generous with her time, and just the biggest fan of UCLA and its students. … We were her second group of kids, and she just thrived on watching us thrive and going on to bigger and better things,” Tomono said.
Many students and coworkers recall how Scherer, who oversaw all the students who received alumni scholarships, constantly encouraged and cared about those around her.
“I think one thing that really stood out for me was how much Roz cared about each person as an individual and watching them grow,” said Melanie Ho, former president of Alumni Scholar Club Board.
Ho said Scherer always found ways to help her in her college career.
“She would always take the time to introduce me to someone at an alumni event, or she would tell me about events I might be interested in. She did that for so many people,” Ho added.
George Brown, the assistant director of alumni scholarships, worked with Scherer for the past seven years. He said she was an inspiration to everyone who worked for her.
“She was definitely a mentor, a true leader and a perfect professional. All of the people who worked under her had such a high level of respect (for her),” Brown said.
Scherer enjoyed seeing those around her go from hardworking undergraduates to fellow alumni.
“Everyone that came in contact with Roz definitely could feel and understand how much she cared about the students here at UCLA and about the connection that alumni shared at the university,” Brown said.
Tomono agreed that Scherer believed in the importance of the alumni network.
“That’s what she loved: seeing so many people come through the university and then come back and give back,” Tomono said.
Students, family and coworkers all remember Roz as an extremely caring and generous friend.
“Roz was a supervisor, a mother and a dear friend, and she took the best qualities out of each of those roles and put them together in one package,” Brown said.
At her memorial service Sunday, the family requested that people come not in traditional black, but proudly show off the Bruin spirit to which Scherer dedicated her life.
“I wanted people to come to honor her, and wearing something UCLA would be the perfect (way). It was a sea of blue and gold,” Ron Scherer said.
A scholarship is being established at UCLA in Roz Scherer’s memory. Ron Scherer said it is an appropriate tribute to someone who loved the university and its people so much.
“She loved people, and that love knew no bounds. There were no limitations to what she would do for a friend.”