Zelda Glazer, iconic Dade teacher & mother of screenwriter

[Hyfler/Rosner]

"Her son Mitch said some of her students clearly took it to
heart. Among them was actor Mickey Rourke, who attended the
high school.

''I called him and he just burst into tears on the phone,''
Mitch Glazer said. ``He's flying down just to be here,
because she showed the film A Place in the Sun when he was
in 10th grade in a lower-level reading group, you know, the
kids that no one really paid attention to. It really changed
his life, and he still talks about it 30 years later.''

Zelda Glazer, iconic Dade educator, dies in car crash

Former Miami-Dade educator Zelda Glazer died Saturday night
in a car crash on South Dixie Highway.
BY ROB BARRY
rba...@MiamiHerald.com

Zelda Glazer, an influential educator who for decades taught
English and then oversaw the literature read by Miami-Dade
public school students, died Saturday in a car crash while
heading to dinner with friends in Pinecrest.

Glazer, 82, was one of four passengers in a vehicle driven
by former Miami-Dade School Board Chairwoman Janet McAliley.
The vehicle was heading southbound on South Dixie Highway.
As it approached the Sunniland Shopping Center at Southwest
112th Street, McAliley tried to make a left turn, but the
vehicle was broadsided by an oncoming car, family members
said.

Glazer, sitting on the right side in the back seat
apparently took the brunt of the impact. She was taken to
Baptist Hospital, where she died.

Injured were her husband, Leonard, 84, and a friend, Lucille
Friedman, 78. They were transported to Miami's Ryder Trauma
Center, where they were in stable condition.

McAliley and Dr. Robert Katim, 77, a front-seat passenger,
were not seriously hurt.

The driver of the vehicle that struck the group had
apparently accelerated through a yellow light and was
ticketed, family members said. It was unclear if the other
driver was injured. Police officials were unavailable Sunday
for more details.

Glazer's death rocked those who had come in contact with her
through her years as an English teacher, vice principal and
finally director of language arts for Miami-Dade schools, a
post she held until her retirement in 1993.

She also was the mother of Hollywood screenwriter and
producer Mitch Glazer, of Lost in Translation and The
Recruit fame.

Those who worked with Glazer or were taught by her said her
imprint on the school system and on them was profound.

''She was one of the most influential people in this part of
the state, if not this part of the country, in inspiring
teachers,'' former co-worker Jennifer Oren Krugman said.

Glazer was recognized several years ago when the University
of Miami-Miami-Dade Writing Institute was renamed the Zelda
Glazer Writing Institute.

''She really was an icon in the school district, and that
the writing institute is named after her is a testimony,''
Krugman added.

Glazer moved to South Florida in the early 1950s. She was
hired as an English teacher at Miami Beach Senior High
School.

Her son Mitch said some of her students clearly took it to
heart. Among them was actor Mickey Rourke, who attended the
high school.

''I called him and he just burst into tears on the phone,''
Mitch Glazer said. ``He's flying down just to be here,
because she showed the film A Place in the Sun when he was
in 10th grade in a lower-level reading group, you know, the
kids that no one really paid attention to. It really changed
his life, and he still talks about it 30 years later.''

In 1971, Glazer's extraordinary capacity as a teacher was
officially recognized when she won UM's Outstanding High
School Teacher Award. She was the first teacher from Beach
High to be awarded the honor. She was promoted to head the
school's English department in the mid-'70s.

In 1982, Glazer was appointed director of language arts for
the county's public schools. She set curriculum for all
English classes.

''She never got stuck in one paradigm, or one way of doing
things,'' said daughter Amy Glazer, a theater director and
professor at San Jose State University in California.

Glazer was also a towering figure in Miami's literary
community. She and her husband were longtime supporters of
the Miami Book Fair International. She had been a fixture
during last month's fair.

''She had a remarkable artistic sensibility, and a love of
books and literature,'' said Mitchell Kaplan, a longtime
friend who owns Books & Books and is a book fair co-founder.

''When you were with her in Miami, it was like being with a
rock star,'' her son said. 'She would walk through Lincoln
Road, or somewhere in Miami, and you'd hear that voice:
`Mrs. Glazer!' She was such an important part of so many
people's lives.''

She is also survived by daughter-in-law actress Kelly Lynch,
son-in-law James Connolly and grandchildren Liam Connolly
and Shane Lynch.

Services are pending.

[shelli...@yahoo.com]

Mrs. Glazer was my 7th grade English teacher at Fisher Jr. High. She was the first to encourage my writing abilities and I went on to become an English major at Emory and also received a masters in journalism from Northwestern. My mother Jeanette Miller was a personal friend (she was also known as the puppet lady). I adored Mrs Glazer and still remember her elegant looks and many kindnesses.

Shellie Miller Travis
Beach high senior '69