Michael "Mickey" Herman

A popular teacher in San Diego, Ca. died from melanoma on December 30th. He was 60. The melanoma had spread throughout his liver and other abdominal areas.

From the San Diego Union Tribune:

Michael "Mickey" Herman did more than teach math at Mesa Verde Middle School. For 10 years, he was friend and counselor to students who needed help or an encouraging word. He was someone you could talk to during a difficult time.

"He gave kids hope that if they didn't get math, they could learn it but the No. 1 thing about him was he cared a lot about his students," said Katie Redman, 14, a freshman at Westview High.

Beth Redman said her daughter was lucky to have had Mr. Herman as her seventh-grade math teacher. "He got her over a big hurdle of being absolutely petrified of math. He always struck me as a teacher who really connected with that age group, which is hard to do. He took a genuine interest in what was going on with them," Redman said.

"I thought of him more as a friend, not just a teacher," Katie said. "He was open to everybody, not just his own students. He opened up his classroom and helped anyone who needed it," she said.