Community mourns Regan, loss of innocence
This time last year, the community gathered at Episcopal High School to celebrate a project near and dear to the heart of Head of School Dale Regan — the dedication of Parks and Lastinger halls. In a sad turn of events, the community will again convene between the two buildings to memorialize Regan, who lost her life on March 6.
The memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on March 9 in Campion Courtyard, a pristine setting between the two halls.
Regan, who has worked at Episcopal since 1978 and served as its Head of School for the past six years, was killed in her office this week by former Spanish teacher Shane Schumerth. Schumerth had been terminated earlier in the day for “failing to meet the expectations of the school.” A statement from Episcopal said Schumerth was repeatedly counseled for “issues associated with attendance and a lack of timeliness in complying with the requirements of the position.” After being fired, Schumerth returned to the school with an AK-47 hidden in a guitar case and shot Regan multiple times in her office before killing himself.
No students or faculty were hurt, although the school was on lockdown for more than an hour before students were able to leave. The school has been closed since Tuesday and is expected to reopen at the end of spring break on March 19.
The event has been described as one of the worst tragedies in recent history to affect the community on such a level.
Regan leaves a rich legacy in the field of education and in the community. This summer, she was named an EVE Award for Education winner by The Florida Times-Union. She came to Episcopal as a teacher from Sandalwood High School in 1978 and moved into the Head of School position after many years of teaching English.
Through social media sources and other local outlets, many in the community have expressed their love and appreciation for Regan — recalling her smile, the way she remembered all students and for the way she modeled professionalism, good citizenship, faith and integrity.
According to her obituary, she attended neighborhood schools Landon Middle School and Wolfson High School before attending Florida State University and the University of North Florida, where she received her master’s degree. She is survived by two sons, John and Duke, as well as a sister, Denise Hunt and her parents, Allen and Charlotte Duke.
The family requests donations be made to the Dale D. Regan Memorial Fund at the Episcopal School of Jacksonville.
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