➤
High Schools ➤
California ➤
Casa Grande High School ➤
Ken Zamvil - Chemistry & Physics Teacher - Started Teaching At Casa Grande In 1973
| Graduation Year | Class of 1975 |
| Date of Birth | Jun 03, 1948 |
| Date of Passing | Dec 10, 2024 |
| About | It is with great sadness that I share the news that my husband, Ken Zamvil, Casa Grande High School's first Chemistry & Physics teacher passed away two weeks ago on December 10, 2024. He lost his battle with Prostate Cancer. Ken & I were about to celebrate our 32nd wedding anniversary on January 2nd, 2025. He was the love of my life and I miss him terribly. Ken graduated from U.C. Davis. His teaching career lasted over forty years. He took his students on a working field trip to a field station where he taught them about science in nature, including live trapping and identifying different animal specifies. His teaching wasn't always conventional. The first year he taught Chemistry, our "National Midterm" (or so we thought), which we believed was a major portion of our grade in his class, was making Peanut Brittle, with all ingredients labeled with their scientific names, using beakers & candy thermometers. He taught Newton's Laws on Roller Blades, having his students toss tennis balls at him & then bowling balls. Ken had a deep compassion for teaching, he always loved learning new things, he shared his passion for knowledge with his students, he had a great respect for his friends and he loved animals. We had a Goat Rescue where we saved pet goats from being eaten. It brought him a lot of joy! We enjoyed going to our class reunions & especially loved the BBQs at the home of Karen & Charlie Puckett. Catching up with classmates & his former students was something we always looked forward to. Ken enjoyed backpacking, but I wasn't interested in it. I loved to go on cruises, so he reluctantly agreed to try it just to pacify me. After about 5 minutes of being on the cruise ship, he was ready to sign up for future cruises. We loved seeing the world, eating fabulous food & meeting new people. His dedication to living a full life was a beautiful thing to behold. He had a sharp wit and a sharp mind. As he used to say, he was like Alfred E. Newman (Mad Magazine), "always good for a laugh!" He was one of the most loyal people I have ever met. His best friend & college roommate needed a lung transplant and after trying every avenue he could find for months, his best friend had given up on finding one. His doctor said he only had a few months left to live with his bad lung. Ken simply would NOT accept the potential death of his BFF. Somehow, with Ken's tenacity & pure determination, he just wouldn't give up. He was able to convince UCSF to locate a lung and perform this surgery, and in doing so, he saved his best friend's life. That is the man I LOVE & I will miss him everyday for the rest of my life! |
