Hard to believe a year has passed since George left this plane. So many good memories of times long gone and regrets for not having stayed in contact.  Thank you for being who you were, George. You certainly made a difference in this life!

So sorry to hear about George. We worked on the 5ESS Switch project together at Bell Labs. Very good guy to work with on the flagship product for the entire company and his leadership made a difference for this world. Our project won many awards and is the reason your phone is the most important invention in the history of the world. 

I am so sad to hear that George is no longer with us.  I had the pleasure of working with George in several Code.org workshops.  George was so good at his job as a facilitator. He was very knowledgeable about Computer Science, but also really down-to-earth and approachable.  I learned a lot from George about how to teach adults.

George was also a lot of fun at social events after the trainings.  He had an open mind, a great sense of humor and lots of interesting stories to tell at group dinners.  I always looked forward seeing George at Code.org events and will miss seeing him in the future. 

Rest in peace, George.

I was floored when I read of George's passing. I will always remember him as very jovial and pleasant, always willing to share what he knew and any resources he owned. Gone to soon! I pray strength for his family.

I am deeply saddened by George's passing and extend my heartfelt condolences to his family. We were fellow AP CS Principles table leaders during the AP Readings in the summer of 2018 and 2019. George always had a smile on his face and a great sense of humor. I admired his outlook on life, his dedication to computer science and education, and his love for his family. I feel so honored for our paths to have crossed. He will definitely be missed.

I am so sad to learn of George's passing. He was always such a cheerful, happy person. He was an excellent educator, and I am so honored to get to know him through the AP readings on Kansas City.

I was elbow partners with George during the last in person, AP Reading. It was an honor getting to know him that year. I knew his students were in good hands with him as their teacher. He will be missed.

I’m so so sorry for your loss! George was amazing, his face lit up telling stories of his career and family. I remember him sharing his adventures moving jobs and loving computer science. He was so gentle, compassionate, caring and emanated positivity. He will be missed. Know that his legacy will live on in the hearts of many. I only knew him a short time scoring AP exams but I cannot forget his impact. Wishing you happy thoughts when thinking of him, hugs from afar. 

George was a wonderful teacher, facilitator and a friend. 

Praying for his friends and families at this difficult time. 
May he rest in peace. 

Here is another picture of George and I as facilitators for WeTeach Code.org AP CS Principles  in 2018.  What a wonderful person he was. 

George's witty and gentle soul was always a balm to me at every Code.org training and summit we both participated in. He will be missed. My heart goes out to his loved ones. 

George was a wonderful person and facilitator. The last time I was with George was in Dallas 2018 when we facilitated code.org AP CSP.  We had a good time and it was just wonderful to have a partner like George.   He shared his resources with me and took all the initiative to do most of the todo list for our team.  

May he rest in peace and may his wonderful memories give all those who love him comfort know that he lived a  wonderful life and made a difference in so many teachers. He will be deeply missed. 

I'm so sorry to hear the news of George's passing. I had the pleasure of working with George at several Computer Science Teaching events. He enjoyed having conversations and connecting with fellow teachers.
Jessica Jarboe

George was our lead facilitator in Philadelphia in 2017. It was a pleasure having him work with us in Philadelphia as we worked to figure out how we navigated this Code.org CS Principles facilitator work. I am saddened by his passing. 

My prayers go out to the family. 

I was a senior at John Hancock High School the year that Mr. Schmidt came on board. He quickly became one of my absolute favorite teachers as I was lucky enough to have been registered for his class. My classmates and I often looked forward to computer class and even dropped in in between passing periods to say hi and chat.

Many years later, I still utilize the skills that Mr. Schmidt has taught me. I can say that his effective and interesting style of teaching made class engaging and fun! Most importantly, Mr. Schmidt applied the care and compassion that inner city kids have so desperately needed and he didn't give up hope on us.

I am saddened by Mr. Schmidt's passing and extend my deepest condolences. He was always quick with a smile and his warm presence will truly be missed.

My name is Mike Kolody; I am a computer science teacher in Chicago Public Schools. George was one of the facilitators who taught me to teach Exploring Computer Science, the first computer science course I taught. He was also a facilitator for a Code.org training I took, and through his encouragement I became a reader for AP Computer Science Principles.

Whenever I had a question or needed something, especially about the AP Computer Science Principles course, George had an answer, almost always within a day or two, and always at the level of detail I needed.

He told a funny story once about when he started at Hancock High School where, on his first day, he was in a room with not enough chairs for his students to sit in, and how indifferent the school staff was to his situation...But not only did he advocate to get his students chairs, now Hancock has a robust computer science program; George impacted the entire district with his work including teachers like me; and Hancock recently won an award for closing the achievement gap.

I had no idea George had worked so long at Lucent before becoming a teacher.

A lot of people SAY they want to leave a job like that to help make the world a better place, but anyone reading this should know that George really did it.

He helped a lot of students and teachers with his work. None of us have forever on this earth; George certainly made his mark with the time that he had. 

Thank you George! Your family should be proud of you and all you accomplished. 

George was a good friend and a part of our group back in high school and before, back in the days of "boy-girl" parties.  My condolences to his family and friends during this sad time.  I am sure he will be greatly missed.

Went to high school with George, he was a intelligent, kind and all around decent person. Rest in peace.

So many things  raced through my head when I heard of George's passing.  We were classmates at Lisle Junior and Senior High Schools, shared similar affinities for plays and choir (he had an amazing singing voice and a wonderful sense of timing), and sometimes shared a lunch table. We were always alphabetically in each other's periphery at the beginning S section for formal school activities and on seating charts.  I truly regret losing touch after high school. 

George was always the gentlest of souls who was always the first to help others. He had a wonderful sense of humor that always  brought a smile to anyone in the room.  He never failed to take the time to help others talk through issues, share positive thoughts and ideas, and provide an appropriate witty quip to bring a smile. He was always the epitome of "a friend in need is a friend, indeed." I will never be able to thank him enough for being there for me in an incredibly dark time in my life those many years ago.

To George's family, please accept my most sincere condolences! I am holding you all in my prayers daily as you walk through  this devastating time in your lives .

George welcomed me to the AP Computer Science community with a warm smile and a look of understanding.  I appreciated his CS knowledge, and I credit him for providing me with the necessary strategies to help my students achieve a high score on the  AP Exam.  I thanked him at the end of each PD session we had together because I wanted George to understand how much I truly appreciated him. 

I am saddened by the passing of George, we met a few years ago in a Code.org AP training. He was so nice and welcoming. He was always available for questions and offered me lots of support. My heart goes out to his loved ones. 

 George was my friend, he was a gentleman and a gentle, gentle, man who would help you with anything. He built my confidence with AP computer science and was the master with the Robotics unit in ECS. He and I shared a birthday and I remember how excited he was to be taking a trip last summer with his family. My prayers go out to his children, his wife,  whom he adored, and the rest of his home and work-family. He was a great guy and will truly be missed.

I work at Richard J. Daley College and interfaced with George in his teaching role at Hancock  College Prep High School.  George's students thought the world of him, and it showed in their enthusiasm for the courses he taught.  The students were always fully engaged in the subjects George taught.  His extensive background was the perfect fit for his role.  More importantly, George was a great person who will be missed by all ...

My memories of George always involve his playful warm smile and gentle demeanor.  I met George at an ECS PD that I facilitated. he stood out immediately as a teacher with an immense well of empathy, kindness and service to others. He really glowed when talking about his children and family. 

Our ECS community will certainly miss him. He has helped to train a  large cohort of computer science teachers who are undoubtedly influenced by his wonderful mentoring and love of computer sciences and have passed this along to their students. 

I feel so grateful to have been able to know him and call him friend. My heart goes out to his family, and I pray that you continue to feel his love and that your memories will soon be filled with joy rather than sadness. 

I attended my first ECS training with George as one of the leads.  I fondly remember the way he pushed us to examine what it really meant to teach Computer Science.  Coming from teaching history I didn't realize how much CS could make a difference and how much the community  helps one another.  George was always there to help anyone who needed it.  He will be missed greatly in the CS community.  My deepest condolences go out to his family, students, and friends.

I met George when he applied for his first teaching job after a career in the corporate world. He transformed computer science for the better at John Hancock College Prep. He had high ambitious expectations for the students and before you knew it, they were programming robots! Most of all, I will always remember George for his heart, kindness and good humor. He had to take some time off at one point to travel to Russia. He was going to finalize an adoption of a deaf child who was going to age out of the system. He joked about his age and starting another family at that point in his life.  He went for one child, but I believe if memory serves, he came home with two. He brought me a Russian nesting doll - in the midst of wrangling with the complexities of a foreign adoption, he thought of others. He was a good man, a kind man and the world will be missing a human that made it so much better.  To George's family - my deepest condolences.

I am saddened to hear the news of George's passing.  Since we trained together for ECS in 2014, I have truly appreciated his dedication to supporting the teaching and learning of computer science.  His tagline on our teacher forum, 'There is always something I can learn to do better!', exemplifies  the spirit he so freely shared with teachers and students.
I will miss his insight, his self-deprecating humor and his always interesting virtual backgrounds. My thoughts and prayers for his family, colleagues and students for strength and comfort during this difficult time.

George was such a genuinely kind soul. His passion for teaching was rivaled only by his love for learning. I am incredibly blessed and grateful to have shared in a part of his life's journey. Sending love, peace, and light to all who knew and loved him.

It is an honor to be able to call George a friend, a colleague, and a mentor. In the many years George and I worked one-on-one together, I grew to admire him as a man with a deep love of family and friends. George is the kind of person who would reach out, completely out of the blue, simply to say "hi". I will always cherish my time with George as a gift and an opportunity to learn with (and from) such a kind soul.

I am deeply saddened to hear George has passed on. At our monthly Code.org meetings George was always pleasant and had something to say that made us laugh. To George’s family please accept my deepest condolences. He will be missed.

Early in my education career George was one of the first teachers to let me visit his classroom and was generous with his time, advice, and experience. He was a wonderful teacher. When we worked together at Code.org whether he was trying out new courses in his classroom, running PD for new teachers, or supporting teachers online, he always did so with a deep commitment to our students and a warm smile on his face. I am deeply saddened and shocked by this loss. My heart especially goes out to his family. Despite how much we cared about our work, I remember most my conversations with him about his wife, kids, and grandkids. He carried himself with the grace of someone who cared for many people and cared deeply.

George's smile always radiated kindness.   His smile was a staple of every Code.org event I was at and it will be deeply missed.  I appreciated the thoughtfulness and curiosity he brought to every challenge. 

I always loved working with George at Code.org events. He was always smiling and easy going. He wanted to get to know everyone and was a great part of the team. 

George was always ready to share his deep and vast knowledge of teaching and always worked to create the best possible classroom he could. I'll always remember him as a thoughtful and open person who was always looking to be better at a craft he was already a master in. The world is lesser with him gone. 

I am shocked to hear this. My heart goes out to George's family and close ones. I remember George as always smiling and witty. He was a very caring individual who cared about his students.

George loved his students, and invested in being an effective and equitable teacher.  He was reflective in his teaching practice, and cared about the effects of his actions.  He was kind, and I vividly remember his smile and his positive outlook.  Peace to you George!

OBITUARY

George Joseph Schmidt

June 28, 1958 – March 19, 2021

Blake-Lamb Funeral Home

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