Dr. Isadore (Izz) Kamin. The first Chief of the San Mateo County Mental Health Department has died. Dr. Isadore Kamin helped establish the South County Mental Health Organization and continued in that position for 24 years. Following that, he continued his private psychiatric care until November 2002 — a total of 53 years. Born and educated in Toronto, Canada, he moved to the United States for his medical internship in New York State at Beth El Hospital in Brooklyn, New York. Following completion of his internship, he served in the U.S. Army Corps, retiring as a Major in 1946.

Izz became an avid sports fan who fully supported the Bay Area professional sports teams, especially his beloved Giants. His early career included teaching of residents at Stanford University, Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute at UCSF and Cameron House in San Francisco; he was a member of the adjunct clinical faculty in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University where he initiated group therapy training for the psychiatric residents. His academic appointments at Stanford began as Clinical Instructor in 1957, with Lecturer Emeritus awarded to him in 1988.

Dr. Kamin continued to counsel psychiatric patients as recently as last fall and also attended classes in the Continuing Education Program at Stanford University as well as weekly torah group studies at Congregation Beth Am. Dr. Kamin volunteered at Samaritan House in San Mateo and the Stanford Spiritual Care Service at Stanford Hospital. He served as a consultant to the Family Service Agency in San Mateo, the Palo Alto, CA Hospital and McAuley Neuropsychiatric Institute. In addition, he served as membership chairman of the Northern California Psychiatric Society and on the membership committee of the American Psychiatric Association. Amongst his many honors, he is a distinguished life member of the American Psychiatric Association. Locally he was awarded an honor from San Mateo County for “extraordinary help to people with serious mental illness.” He was known to treat needy mental health patients based on their medical needs and not whether they could or could not pay. Starting early in his life, he was dedicated to the founding of the State of Israel which is how he met his first wife, Sylvia, the mother of his three sons.

He is survived by his wife Roberta; his sons David Kamin, Bruce Kamin and Dr. Robert (Susan) Kamin; one grandson, Moses; three stepchildren; four step-grandchildren and four step great grandchildren. A memorial service was held on October 30 at Congregation Beth Am. Contributions can be made to the Hunger and Homeless Program at Congregation Beth Am, 26790 Arastradero Road, Los Altos Hills, 94022; the American Hearth Association, 1710 Gilbreth Road, Burlingame, 94010 or to Mission Hospice, 151 West 20th Ave, San Mateo 94403.

Susan A. Miles in Riverside, CA on October 18, 2005 at age 64. Beloved wife for 40 years of Donald Miles; loving mother of Scott Miles and step-mother of David Miles; cherished daughter of Charlotte and the late Harry Ostroff. Dear sister of Barbara and Rick Green, sister-in-law of Duane Miles and loving aunt of Brad and Michael Green. Susan will be missed by her family and friends. A memorial service was held at the Foster City Recreation Center, 650 Shell Blvd. and East Hillsdale Blvd. Contributions in memory of Susan may be made to your favorite charity.

Violinist David Schneider, 87, played 50 Years in the San Francisco Symphony, wrote noted history of the Symphony. Veteran San Francisco Symphony violinist David Schneider died at his home in Santa Rosa, October 25. Schneider, who in 1936, at 18, auditioned for famed conductor Pierre Monteux, was invited to join the symphony the next day on a probationary basis. In later years, Schneider said that during his 50-year tenure he was never sure if the period of probation expired.

David Hersch Schneider was born in San Francisco in 1918 and gave his first violin recital at the age of five. At sixteen, he began college at Berkeley, where he played in the University of California Symphony. Before joining the San Francisco Symphony, Schneider played Principal Second Violin in the WPA Orchestra. He also played quartets as a teen with his friend Isaac Stern.

In five decades with the Symphony, Schneider had numerous opportunities to give solo performances with the symphony. In 1968, under the direction of Josef Krips, he performed the West Coast premiere of the Roger Sessions Violin Concerto, written in 1936 but generally considered too difficult to play. In 1980, with Edo de Waart, he performed the Goldmark Violin Concerto. In 1986, in honor of his fiftieth year with the symphony, Schneider performed the Mozart Violin Concerto No. 5.

In addition to his career in the symphony, and as a member of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra, Schneider enjoyed an active career playing chamber music throughout the Bay Area. He was a founding member of the California String Quartet, a soloist for many years with the San Francisco Bach Festival and a member of a chamber group at Mills College under the direction of Darius Milhaud. In the early sixties, Schneider twice played the cycle of all eighteen Mozart violin sonatas in a series of concerts in Monterey and at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. During the Beethoven Bicentennial in 1970, he performed all of the Beethoven violin sonatas in San Francisco. Schneider also maintained a rigorous teaching schedule with private students and as a member of the faculty at San Francisco State University and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

In 1983, Presidio Press published Schneider’s book “Music, Maestros and Musicians,” a much-lauded memoir and history of the San Francisco Symphony, which became a San Francisco Chronicle bestseller, reviewed in San Francisco Focus as a “shrewd and breezy chronicle of our social and cultural history.”

Schneider was very involved in the Jewish community. He was President of Congregation Ner Tamid in San Francisco after a long history at Congregation Beth Torah. He played Kol Nidre at Congregation Sherith Israel for many years, and when he moved to Santa Rosa, he continued that tradition at Congregation Beth Ami. Schneider’s wife of sixty-five years, Geraldine, died earlier this year. He is survived by daughter Sandra Black of Dallas and son Bart of St. Paul. Donations to the David Schneider Scholarship Fund, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, 1201 Ortega St, San Francisco, CA 94122.

Sidney Shtulman – Beloved husband of Berenice “Bee” Biegun Shtulman — died on October 23, 2005. Sidney was born in New York in 1920. He earned his Master’s in Mathematical Statistics from George Washington University. Sid worked for the Federal Government and retired early with a Super Grade title. Sid was an avid reader, loved to travel and enjoyed sports. After retirement, he took up golf and was very proud of his four holes in one. He will be missed by his daughter Mary (John) Foran and his step-daughters, Debby (David) Hoffman, Cheryl (Victor) Lamin, Miriam (Steven) Permut and eight grandchildren. Funeral services and burial were held on October 27 at Hills of Eternity Memorial Park, Colma, under the direction of Sinai Memorial Chapel, Redwood City. Memorial contributions may be made to the charity of your choice.