'Won't be forgotten': Eugene mourns Sharon Schuman, beloved musician, professor, nonprofit leader

• Sharon Schuman died after being struck while on a morning run by a driver who lost control of an SUV.
• Schuman was an active member of the Eugene community, wearing many hats as a musician, educator and nonprofit fundraiser.
• Friends and families of Schuman remembered her as energetic, intelligent and giving.

Sharon Schuman, a respected academic, writer, and advocate for civic dialogue, was killed April 23 in a crash along Amazon Parkway in Eugene. She was 79.

A former University of Oregon associate professor who was well known for her work with local nonprofits, Sharon was on her morning run along the Amazon Trail April 23 when the driver of an SUV lost control, veering off Amazon Parkway and striking her.

By the next day, the crash site was decorated with flowers and notes left in her honor.

Her son, Ben Schuman, said his mother was was remarkably active for her age. She took runs most mornings or lifted weights at the YMCA. The Schuman family moved to Eugene in 1981 and Ben said Sharon had been running on the Amazon Trail since it was opened in 1983.

"It's been a shock for sure, just because she was in her late 70s, but she was extremely healthy, physically and sharp, mentally," Ben said. "She had all kinds of plans for nonprofit work and amateur music going forward.

"She still had a lot to give."

Ben, who now lives in Austin, Texas, said his mother had lived in the same house on Alder Street since 1981.

Her daughter, Rebecca Schuman, lives in Eugene. Rebecca said her mom would call her for everything. On the morning of Sharon’s death, Rebecca sent a message that read: “Tell me that wasn’t you that got hit,” knowing her mom had gone for a run.

"It's just so weird that I won't ever get a call from her again," Rebecca said. "She's my mother. I don't know what life without her would be like."

Rebecca and Ben said Sharon was a devoted grandmother to her three grandchildren — Ben's two children and Rebecca's daughter.

"The thing that my brother and I are both most adamant about is that she, despite her age, she had so much left to do," Rebecca said. "For me, it was something as personal as seeing my daughter grow up. They were just absolutely best, best friends."

The life and legacy of Sharon Schuman

Sharon was active in local education, music and literature circles and a respected figure both in the classroom and in the public sphere. She taught for years at the University of Oregon Honors College and previously held teaching roles at Deep Springs College and Willamette University.

She earned degrees in English from Stanford University (BA), San Francisco State University (MA), and the University of Chicago (Ph.D.), and was the author of "Freedom and Dialogue in a Polarized World," a book that examines how conversation can help bridge ideological divides. Her academic writing also included studies on Shakespeare, Early Modern English poetry, American literature and the craft of writing.

In recent years, Sharon contributed essays to newspapers and magazines across Oregon and gave presentations and workshops in the United States, Italy and Sweden, often returning to her core themes of freedom, civic discourse and mutual understanding. She authored a six-part essay on political polarization that appeared in The Register-Guard in 2017.

Rebecca said Sharon grew up in abject poverty in California. Sharon was one of six children and slept in a crib until she was 9. She began playing the violin at the age of 9, thanks to lessons paid for by a "benevolent aunt," according to Rebecca. Her skill with the violin earned Sharon a full scholarship to Stanford.

"She was so good, and that was just her whole life," Rebecca said. "She practiced and practiced and practiced, and it was her ticket out of poverty."

She went on to become a professional violinist. Ben said she performed with the Oregon Mozart Players, then founded a group called Chamber Music Amici. She also played in the Eugene Opera orchestra. The Oregon Mozart Players posted about her death on Facebook, stating that, over her 40-plus years with the group, she had become a "foundational spirit."

"Her deep care for this ensemble leaves an indelible mark on our history," the post stated. "We will forever remember her passion and commitment and will miss her presence in the community."

Ben said Sharon had recently decided to retire from playing the violin professionally in June, before her 80th birthday.

"We were all excited to come out here for her last concert in June," he said.

Her husband, David Schuman, who died in 2019, was also a UO professor, a former justice on the Oregon Court of Appeals, and deputy attorney general of Oregon. He, too, was a published author.

Sharon also helped to establish the David Schuman Legal Justice Fellowship program for UO's Wayne Morse Center for Law & Politics, which directs law students to work for a public interest nonprofit organization each summer.

Dylan Darling, one of Sharon's students who graduated from the UO Clark Honors College in 2002, said he remembered her classes fondly. He recalled she was dedicated to opening office hours, often taking a "power nap" right before in her office. The potlucks she'd host in her home offered solace to homesick students like Darling.

"Her classes weren't easy, but they were fulfilling," Darling said. "You could just tell she was having fun with it. She taught with a lot of joy."

Sharon was on several boards, including the Fanconi Anemia Foundation, Food for Lane County and, more recently, Square One Villages. Rebecca said addressing the unhoused population was one of Sharon's biggest passions near the end of her life.

"There wasn't a single thing my mom saw wrong with the world that she did not immediately devise a plan to fix," Rebecca said.

Rebecca said her mom would do whatever it took to help others, regardless of what stood in her way.

"One thing I've learned is that she touched a lot of people in different ways," Ben said.

Sharon’s name appears alongside David’s on the wall of the new Eugene YMCA, which she helped raise funds to build. At the YMCA, Rebecca said, Sharon was a "fixture" in the weight room, where she'd meet up with friends. Her workouts would take three times as long as they should because of all the time she spent chatting.

David Fidanque had been a friend of Sharon and David's since the 1980s. He said she had a "tremendous" amount of energy, referencing her love of running, which led her to complete the Boston Marathon in 1996. In Eugene, she participated in many local runs, including Butte to Butte.

"She and David were quite the pair. Both of them were active in a lot of different types of things," Fidanque said. "She was on these boards and having regular visits with her granddaughter and seeing friends. She was just amazingly active and had a lot more energy than I have, that's for sure."

Ben said there will be a memorial service for Sharon in Eugene, but the details have not been decided. A service with a performance from the Chamber Music Amici will be held on an upcoming weekend, according to Rebecca.

"I know that she won't be forgotten in the community, no matter what," Rebecca said.

Sharon is survived by her brother, Ross, her daughter, Rebecca, her son, Ben, and her three grandchildren, Halina, Milly and Sage.

Miranda Cyr reports on education for The Register-Guard. You can contact her at mcyr@registerguard.com  or find her on Twitter @mirandabcyr.