Harbor died on June 26, 2009, of congestive
heart failure at the Palo Alto Veterans
 Roderick Edward Schoenlank |
his eighty-eighth birthday. He was a well-known
and well-loved figure on the coast, where he
lived for more than twenty years aboard his
boat, the Lao Tzu, named for the Taoist Chinese
writer of the 6th century B.C.
Mr. Schoenlank was born on July 2, 1921, in
Linden, New Jersey, to Edward G. Schoenlank and
Irene Hecker Schoenlank. He was a highly
decorated lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He
served in WWII, and was stationed for several
years in Germany as a public information
officer. After returning to the States, he
lived in Muskegon, Michigan, and Granite City,
Illinois. He served as president of Westran
Steel in Muskegon, and was a founding member of
the United Way. He was a longtime member of
Mensa International and a Director of the
Granite City Chamber of Commerce, which under
his tenure was awarded “Model City USA”
status. There were other jobs as well: Mr.
Schoenlank worked as an industrial psychologist
for a company that made food for zoos, and
worked in radio in New Jersey and California.
Following a heart attack what Mr. Schoenlank
described as a “heart experience” at the age
of fifty, his life took a dramatic turn. He
took up travel and woodcarving, finally arriving
in Half Moon Bay in 1987. He he was proud of
his military service, but his bearing was
anything but military: He favored tie-dye or
purple, the ensemble topped with a crocheted skullcap.
Over the years Mr. Schoenlank built a web of
connections to the community around him. He
performed weddings and commitment ceremonies,
presiding over countless celebrations. Each
holiday season he would collect scores of
stuffed animals on the deck of Lao Tzu and
decorate the rigging with lights. When children
stopped to marvel at the animals, he’d invite
them to take one, telling each to “go and find
the one that talks to you.” With his long white
hair and beard he made a convincing Santa, and
many children left certain they’d met the
genuine article. He was the wise man of the
harbor, a first-rate listener and a counselor to
many, with a gift for seeing worth in
everyone. Anywhere he went he became a hub,
drawing people together, as much among the
liveaboards at the harbor as in his habitual morning coffee klatch.
Mr. Schoenlank is survived by his sons, Rod Jr.
and Fred; grandson James Monroe; and niece Susan
Burford. He is predeceased by his brother, Gus
Schoenlank, and former wife Polly Schoenlank.
A gathering will be held at the Princeton
American Legion Post 474 at 470 Capistrano Road
in Princeton on July 12 at 1 PM. The event is a
potluck. The Legion can be reached at
650-728-9224 or 650-563-9209. Call Christopher
Cowen at 650-728-1018 for additional information.
Mr. Schoenlank was a magnetic and powerful
personality, forever enraptured at the “awesome
uniqueness” he saw in everyone around him,
always eager to stir in others his own joy and
wonder at life. He leaves the world richer and
more colorful than he found it.
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