Oct. 30, 1934 –
Oct. 11, 2011

The Glendale Unified School District superintendent’s office is saddened to announce the passing of longtime Glendale teacher and principal Lois Neil-Sambar who died Tuesday, Oct. 11 following a long battle with cancer. A long-time resident of La Cañada, she was 76 years old.

Dr. Neil-Sambar was born in Hoboken, N.J., on Oct. 30, 1934. She studied at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, majoring in history, and received her masters and Life Teaching Credential from California State University Los Angeles.

She began teaching in 1956 in Michigan and North Dakota junior high schools. She began her Glendale teaching career in 1970 as a substitute teacher. She was assigned at both Hoover and Glendale high schools in 1971 before settling in at Hoover High, where she taught English, ESL, American literature and journalism.

In 1981, she became assistant principal at Anderson Clark Junior High School and the following year became assistant principal for Curriculum and Instruction at Glendale High.

Mrs. Neil-Sambar was a California Writing Project Fellow at the University of California Los Angeles and chaired the district editing team, scoring written tests. She pursed her doctoral studies in educational management at the University of La Verne, and later served as a part-time faculty member there.

From 1988 to 1994, Dr. Neil-Sambar was principal of Rosemont Middle School in La Crescenta, which received National Blue Ribbon School and California Distinguished School honors during her tenure. She then served as GUSD director of Instructional Support until her retirement in 1996.

In later years, Dr. Neil married former Glendale Unified School board of education member Chakib (Chuck) Sambar (served 1997-2009).