Obituary : Santa Margarita High School History Teacher Dies

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA —  Richard Voelkel, who founded the social studies department at Santa Margarita High School and served as its chairman, died of a heart attack on Feb. 16, the school announced Wednesday.

Voelkel, a teacher for 33 years, died while attending a Model United Nations Conference in the Georgetown section of Washington. He was 56.

“He is going to be sorely missed,” Santa Margarita Principal Merritt Hemenway said. “He’s a top professional.”

The Rancho Santa Margarita resident joined the staff when the high school opened in 1987, founding the social studies department and serving as its chairman until his death. He also started and developed the school’s Model United Nations program, which currently has more than 300 student members.

“He had a unique concept that as you teach kids about history, you have to teach kids about life,” Hemenway said. “He was very well known and respected among the students.”

Voelkel also introduced Model United Nations students to the Canon community in Tijuana. Each month for the past three years, Voelkel, his wife and students have taken food, clothing, toys and educational supplies to help poor families there.

His wife, Terri, said that though Voelkel “wasn’t big on awards,” he was most proud of winning the Southwest Oral History Assn. Award in 1992 for his contributions to oral history. That same year, he was also awarded a Distinguished Service Award from Santa Margarita High School.

He is survived by his wife and daughter, Maria, who is a freshman at the school.

A memorial service will be held in the school’s Moiso Pavilion at 9 a.m. Friday. In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund has been established in Voelkel’s name at Santa Margarita High School to benefit the Canon project.

For more information on the service or memorial fund, call the school at (714) 858-3350.