A teacher for 44 years, a football coach for 19 years and friend, father and partner for a lifetime.
Family, friends and former students look back on the legacy of Dan Schwartz as he finishes his last year of teaching at Brownstown Central High School as the industrial arts teacher.
Schwartz grew up on an 80-acre farm in southern Indiana with two younger brothers in a big farmhouse that had been in his family for more than 100 years.
His wife, Deb, said his talent and passion for industrial arts was most likely passed down from his father and great-great-grandfather, who built the farmhouse in which he grew up.
“His dad could fix anything, so I think it was just in his blood,” she said.
Although neither of Dan’s parents graduated from college, his mother always dreamed that all three of her kids would go to college. After hard work and sacrifices, her dream was fulfilled as Schwartz and his two younger brothers graduated from Ball State University.
Schwartz started his teaching career at North Harrison High School in Ramsey and lived in Corydon for three years before meeting the love of his life at Ball State.
Deb said their love story began when she was set up on a blind date with Dan by his brother. When she first saw his picture, she said something clicked instantly.
“I don’t know why, but when I first saw his picture, my first thought was ‘This is going to be the father of my children,’” she said.
Time spent enjoying the homecoming game turned into a late dinner, then a movie, coffee the next morning, followed with hours and hours of talking.
“It was like the date never ended. When the weekend was over and when we had to leave, we both cried,” she said.
However, their time apart wouldn’t last for long as Dan drove four hours to Muncie the next four weekends before he asked her to marry him.
“It really was love at first sight,” Deb said.
Two months later, the couple married while she finished her degree at Ball State.
Originally, Deb was studying to work in the juvenile system, but in her heart, she always wanted to be a teacher.
“I thought that I wasn’t smart enough to be a teacher, but Dan encouraged me to follow my dreams,” she said. “He said to me, ‘If I can be a teacher, then you can be a teacher.’”
Thanks to the encouragement from her husband, Deb has worked as a special education teacher at Brownstown Central High School for many years.
“He believed in me more than I believed in myself and pushed me to be the best I could be and more,” she said.
After Deb graduated from Ball State, the couple settled in Edinburgh, and just two years into their marriage, their world changed again.
Dan joined the National Guard at 24-years old and would have to leave for basic training within the next few weeks.
“We had only been married for two years, and it was a complete shock,” Deb said.
Yet, Dan is a man full of ideas and encouraged his wife to join the National Guard, too, instead of staying at home waiting for him to come back.
Sure enough, Deb passed the test with the support and encouragement of her husband. Before leaving for basic training, the couple decided to leave their wedding rings behind, hung up on two little nails in a closet.
“We will come back to get you,” they said before leaving for basic training in two different states.
Two weeks of basic training went by without any communication between the long-distanced couple because they didn’t know each other’s addresses at the time.
“We ended up both writing to his mom, and she would send our letters to each other back and forth,” Deb said. “We wrote each other every day, and by the end of basic training, we both had a huge stack of letters.”
With Dan in New Jersey and Deb in South Carolina, long distance was difficult with only letters and a few phone calls as their way of communicating.
However, Deb said the distance actually helped them grow stronger as a couple.
“The distance helped us develop a sense of independence and confidence in our own skills and talents,” she said. “Even though we were apart, we came out stronger together.”
After basic training, the couple moved back to the old farmhouse in Corydon for a couple of years before officially setting their roots in Brownstown to raise a family.
Dan started at Brownstown Central High School in 1987 and is finishing his 36th and final year at the school.
“He’s just a fun teacher and develops a bond with his students,” Deb said. “I don’t think he would ever want to do anything else.”
Blake Hackman, the agriculture teacher at BCHS, said Dan has assisted him with many projects over the years and has become a close friend and colleague.
“We were rambunctious with our projects, many involving helping the community over the past 30 years,” he said.
Over the course of his teaching years, Dan has been awarded many accolades, such as the Best Hire Technology Launch, Jack Montgomery Excellence in Education and a Scouting Appreciation Plaque.
Outside the classroom, Dan also has been a positive force in the community, such as making wooden street signs for Vallonia and tent bases for Boy Scouts, building props for the school’s choir department and more.
Not only has he been a positive force in the classroom and community, but he was a leader on the field.
Dan was appointed the defensive football coach for the Brownstown Central Braves in 1992 and made a profound impact on many former players and others, including his son, Sean, who played on the team, and his daughter, Danielle, who was a cheerleader.
When Dan decided to retire from coaching in 2011, Deb and Sean worked on a yearlong project contacting former players who he had made an impact on. The scrapbook was put together to commemorate his years of coaching and memories along the way, including special letters written by his son, daughter and wife.
“You taught me it is one of the best feelings in life to accomplish something through hard work,” Sean Schwartz said in a letter to his father. “I love you for being a great and caring dad that wanted me to be the best I could be.”
Danielle Schwartz said in her letter that she was grateful for him teaching her determination, dedication and compassion through his coaching and being a positive force in her life.
In her letter, Deb wrote, “You are my best friend, and I am so proud to be your wife. You have been an inspiration to all the people that have ever known you.”
After retirement, the Schwartzes plan to travel and enjoy spending time with their children and taking care of their adopted son, Dylan Bridges.
The family will be hosting an open house for those who would like to come by and celebrate Dan’s retirement on June 3 from 1 to 4 p.m. at Stahl’s Cafe and Deli, 1048 W. Spring St., Brownstown.
Quotes from former players:
J.D. Woods, Class of ‘96: “He told us to play the game and to live our life with no regrets.”
Zebulon Rouse, Class of ‘05: “Your motivational pregame speeches inspired us to play with everything we have or go home.”
Corey Zaring, Class of ‘07: “You helped turned us into great football players, coach, but ever more than that, you turned us into men.”
Andrew Allman, Class of ‘10: “He brought out a fire inside of me and showed me how to use it.”
Evan Eggersman, Class of ‘11: “Every day I stepped on the field, I could see his passion for the game, which inspired me, as well, to take pride in the game and my team.”
Words that describe Dan Schwartz:
-Dedicated
-Loving
-Kind
-Inspirational
-Compassionate
-Driven