By Jorge Casuso

August 1, 2012 -- Frank Schwengel, a tireless volunteer for Santa Monica's youth for more than three decades who was known as a "quiet hero" for his humbleness, died Tuesday morning. Memorial arrangements have not been released.

Schwengel was a consummate volunteer -- from preparing a field for a little league game and coaching young players to championing youth activities on the dais as a longtime former Recreation & Parks Commissioner.

As a volunteer for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica, Schwengel helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to enhance programs, hosted the staff's Christmas party at his home and always found time to console a troubled child. "The Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica spell volunteer -- F R A N K," said Robert J. Sullivan, past president and a member of the agency's board for 35 years. "He never said no.  He was never too busy to help.  He will be sorely missed."

Frank Schwengel at National Night Out in 2007. Photo by Lookout Staff

Council member Bob Holbrook, a longtime friend, recalls seeing Schwengel marking the baseball fields with chalk in the mornings before the players showed up.

"He was always dedicated to the kids," Holbrook said. "He spent every minute he could with his kids. He was an example of how to live life.

"For a lot of families, Frank was a father figure," he said. "This is a personal loss."

Phil Brock, chair of the Santa Monica Recreation and Parks Commission, called Schwengel "a friend to all of the citizens of this community."   

"We are all better for having known and worked with him," Brock wrote in a statement released Tuesday morning. "His kindness, willingness to compromise and... his parrot made Frank a Santa Monica original.

"The civility he practiced and his enthusiasm for the youth of Santa Monica will long be remembered," he wrote. "On a personal note Frank was my mentor for many years and his passing is a tragic loss for me as well."

The soft-spoken Schwengel said he was surprised to be awarded the Boys & Girls Clubs Council's Community Service Award in 2005, saying that his "work for the last 25 years has been a joy."

Then, as always, he turned the crowd's attention to the kids, encouraging the audience at the 30th annual event to donate, helping raise $300,000 for the clubs' 4,500 members.

"He was a phenomenal worker for the club," said Tom Larmore, a local land use attorney who supports numerous local causes. "I doubt the club would be what it is without him."

Schwengel became involved with local youth when he coached the Boys & Girls Clubs' basketball and football teams after his then 11- year-old twin sons wanted to play sports.

Raised in Davenport, Iowa, Schwengel developed a love for sports in his childhood. While majoring in business at the University of Iowa, he played college football and ran track.

After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, Schwengel moved to Santa Monica in the mid-1950s. His first wife died of cancer after they arrived in California.

In addition to a successful volunteer career, Schwengel was an executive vice president at Interbusiness Bank. A Republican, Schwengel made an unsuccessful bid for City Council in 1998, running an a slate headed by Holbrook.

Schwengel credited his late father Fred Schwengel, an Iowa congressman, for his passion for community service.

"He always said life is lived best with a smile and a helping hand," he once said.