Tony Magliari

Former Lake Tahoe Unified School District Superintendent Anthony J. “Tony” Magliari passed away at his home in Ridgecrest, Calif., on June 14, 2016, at the age of 85.

Born in Los Angeles on Oct. 5, 1930, Mr. Magliari, the son of an Italian immigrant, graduated in 1948 from George Washington High School, where he served as student body president.

While attending Los Angeles City College, Mr. Magliari enlisted in the U.S. Air Force Reserve and was called into active duty during the Korean War in 1951.  Honorably discharged three years later, Mr. Magliari resumed his studies at UCLA where he earned his bachelor’s of arts degree in 1955.  That same year he married Dorilee June Woodworth and moved to Torrance, Calif., where he began his career in public education as a fifth-grade teacher at Peter Burnett Elementary School.

After receiving his master’s in education from UCLA in 1959, Mr. Magliari relocated the following year to Riverside where he taught sixth grade at Arlanza Elementary in Arlington before serving three years as the principal of Wells Intermediate School.

In 1964, Mr. Magliari moved to Tahoe Valley, an unincorporated community that soon became part of the newly formed city of South Lake Tahoe. There, Mr. Magliari became principal of South Tahoe Intermediate School (1964-65) and then performed double duty as associate superintendent of the Lake Tahoe Unified School District while serving as principal of South Tahoe High (1965-66).  In 1966, Mr. Magliari became the district superintendent and, five years later, earned his doctorate in school administration from USC in 1971.

During his 14-year tenure as superintendent, Mr. Magliari presided over the construction of the current South Tahoe High School campus as well as the opening of Al Tahoe, Meyers, and Sierra House elementary schools. He also led the district’s successful $7 million school bond campaign in 1971 and secured voter approval of three school tax increases in 1970, 1974, and 1977.

Mr. Magliari served as the Region II president of the Association of California School Administrators and as chairperson of the Community College Study Committee that resulted in the founding of Lake Tahoe Community College in 1975.

Always engaged in civic affairs, Mr. Magliari was an active member of the South Lake Tahoe Rotary Club and a charter member of the Lake Tahoe Community Concert Association.

After leaving South Lake Tahoe, Mr. Magliari served as superintendent of the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District in San Diego County (1980-83) and the Sierra Sands Unified School District in Ridgecrest (1983-91).

Mr. Magliari was preceded in death by his parents, Fortunato “Frederick” Magliari and Jennie Tecca, and sister Esther.

He is survived by his wife, Dorilee; brother John; sons Michael (Karen Nissen), Gregory (Cindy), and Dana; daughter Diana (Tom Campbell); and his four grandchildren, Dominic, Jesse, Monica, and Dante.

A funeral Mass will be said at 11am July 30 at St. Ann Roman Catholic Church, 446 West Church Ave., Ridgecrest.

In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to a favorite charity.