SCHANDLER, HYMAN (11 Aug. 1900-3 Sept. 1990) was called by one local music critic, "Cleveland's most universally beloved living musician." His long career encompassed 48 years with the CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA, 55 years as founding conductor of the CLEVELAND WOMEN'S ORCHESTRA, and 65 years as violin teacher at the CLEVELAND MUSIC SCHOOL SETTLEMENT.
Born in Riga, Latvia, he was brought to Cleveland at the age of 3 and educated at CENTRAL and WEST high schools. He took violin lessons at Bailey's music school and later at the Cleveland Music School Settlement, where he began teaching at 18. In 1926 he married Rebecca White (d. 1986), a pianist and fellow faculty member at the Settlement. The following year Schlander joined the second violin section of the Cleveland Orchestra, where he occupied the first chair for 35 years. He also began to hone his conducting prowess, working under Herbert von Karajan and Bernhard Paumgartner at Salzburg in 1931.
Concerned about the number of women musicians whose talents at that time were almost totally ignored by symphony orchestras, Schandler formed the Cleveland Women's Orchestra in 1935. He led the organization for the rest of his life, yielding the baton to another only 2 years before his death.
When not teaching, playing, or conducting, he pursued such hobbies as fishing, drawing, and rock collecting, presenting a large part of his extensive rock collection to the CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY. He was survived by 2 daughters, Dorothy Williams of Wash. state and Linda Porter of Calif.