 |
Former CUSD board president, risk management professional
Nathaniel “Nat” Lord, former Claremont Unified School District board president and generally all-around happy, fun fellow according to friends and family, died unexpectedly from cardiovascular illness at his home in Granite Bay on Sunday April 6, 2008. He was 52.
“The world has lost a great guy and all of us who were privileged to serve with him on the school board and to know him will miss his big smile, wonderful sense of humor and genuine affection for his friends…I will miss knowing, seeing and enjoying the extraordinary warmth that Nat radiated,” said Sue Keith, former CUSD board member.
A Claremont resident for 27 years, Mr. Lord served on Claremont’s school board for 2 terms, first elected in 1995 and serving as president in 1998.
“As a board member, Nat was known by all for his coolness under fire, his strategic acumen, his fearlessness and his unyielding good humor,” commented Richard O’Neill, Claremont High School teacher and longtime friend of Mr. Lord’s.
Notable accomplishments during Mr. Lord’s board tenure included bringing lighting and modern facilities to Claremont public parks, securing a successful construction bond initiative, launching a multi-year modernization program and providing air conditioning to every classroom in the district. One particularly visible result from these initiatives was the construction of Claremont High School’s first football stadium.
Most recently, Mr. Lord served as CEO of SELF (Schools Excess Liability Fund) in Sacramento. He inspired his staff to revitalize the partnership between member school districts and the fund by restoring profitability and increasing employee morale and member confidence throughout the state. In his first year, Mr. Lord was able to work with school districts to significantly reduce the amount of money both the fund and districts were spending in active claims and fees, and the board of directors recognized him for the speed and impact of these results.
“He was happy to combine his caring about children, his love for people and building relationships, his passion for politics and policy, and his knowledge of risk and insurance in one role,” wrote longtime family friend Bill Dukes in a remembrance.
Mr. Lord also served as vice president of risk management for AmeriSource Bergen Corp from 1993 through 2007, first in Orange and then in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Additionally, he served as director of risk management and senior assistant vice president for the FEDCO Corporation of Santa Fe Springs.
Mr. Lord first moved to Claremont in 1974 to attend Claremont Men’s College (now Claremont McKenna College), receiving a bachelor’s degree in 1977. Later, he earned an MBA from the University of La Verne.
He spent his childhood and youth all over the country, in Delaware, Kentucky and other states, due to his father’s career. In the early 70s, as a teenager, he moved with his family to Northern Ireland. From there, he attended an international high school in Holland, after which he moved to California. In 1976, he married Sacha de Heer, his high school sweetheart and a Scripps College alum.
As a member of Claremont Presbyterian Church, Mr. Lord served as both an elder and a deacon. He was also Scoutmaster for the Boy Scout troop sponsored by the church. An Eagle Scout in his own right, Mr. Lord was passionate about the role of Scouting in the formation of young men’s character. His sons, Nate and Pete, are also proud Eagle Scouts. Father not only to sons, Mr. Lord was instrumental in coaching his daughter, Emma, a member of a US junior rowing team that won their class at the Henley Regatta in Oxford, England in 2005. Many Claremont residents may remember Mr. Lord in action on soccer fields where he refereed numerous AYSO games.
“What is not widely known is his lifelong commitment to private, unheralded acts of charity and compassion, measurable perhaps only by numerous ‘Nat Lord Stories’ his friends love to discover and share,” remarked Mr. O’Neill.
Mr. Lord is survived by his wife Sacha Lord of Granite Bay; by his children, Nathan, Peter and Emma Lord; by his parents, Sam and Evelyn Lord of Beaumont, Texas; by his brothers and sister, Steven, Jonathan, Victoria and William; by his mother-in-law, Annemarie de Heer; by his brothers- and sisters-in-law; and by his nieces and nephews.
Memorial services were held on April 12, 2008 at Claremont Presbyterian Church.
Memorial donations may be made to Para Los Niños, 500 Lucas Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90017, www.paralosninos.org; or to Claremont Unified School District via the Claremont Educational Foundation, 112 Harvard Ave., #191, Claremont, CA 91711, www.claremonteducationalfoundation.org.
