Who was Reverend Herb Schmidt?

Reverend Herb Schmidt

By Sahasra Akula June 19, 2026

On the surface, Reverend Herb Schmidt was what many imagined a pastor to be, someone who was soft-spoken, caring, and thoughtful. However, his work and astounding contributions in Santa Cruz have made him become something larger. He was not just a campus organizer, but a mentor and community builder. Schmidt has always thought of others first before himself. In his final days his family told him how much they would miss him after he passed away. However, Schmidt responded, “You have it backwards, when I leave, I am going to miss all of you,”. This single quote shows the warmth, humility, and emotion that Schmidt carries with him. 

Schmidt’s Childhood 

Schmidt was born on August 7th, 1930 in Jefferson City. He spent much of childhood helping his father, Henry Schmidt, and his grandfather in their truck garden. The truck garden was where they grew vegetables and other types of produce. His childhood taught him core responsibilities and the importance of serving others.

As a child, he attended school at Trinity Lutheran Church where his faith became an important aspect of his life from an early age. It was during his childhood that he decided he wanted to become a pastor. After graduating from St. Paul's College in Missouri, he prepared for his ministry at Concordia Seminary. Upon graduating in 1955, he officially entered ministry. 

Love and Family 

In the year of 1956, Herb married Grace Mae Kitzan. The two would remain married for 67 years. Grace was not just his wife, but his partner in ministry, service, and community life. After their marriage, she joined Herb while he taught at California Concordia College. As Herb became the very first campus pastor at UC Santa Cruz, Grace helped manage their growing household. In their retirement years, the couple returned to Santa Cruz where they spent time gardening and traveling domestically and internationally. They raised four sons together by the names of Conrad, David, Richard, and Raymond. 

A Life Changing Friendship 

The legend of Reverend Herb Schmidt starts as on a warm Sunday afternoon. As Paul Lee loved to recount, he mentions that the door swung open to reveal Paul Schmdit relaxing in a “teeny weeny bikini”. While Schmidt admitted that Lee was known to “embellish his story", that encounter was specific in that it sparked a sixty year partnership that would fundamentally alter the community of Santa Cruz. 

With Paul Lee, Herb Schmidt founded the United Services Agency (USA). The United Services Agency was a nonprofit organization designed to provide fiscal sponsorship for grassroots activists. Schmidt’s philosophy was to encourage people to start service projects and provide the legal and financial framework to help them succeed. Under his leadership, the USA supported over 30 different projects. Reverend Herb Schmidt mentioned in an interview that, “That’s another idea about USA... we hope to start programs and then pass them off because what happens is sometimes people at churches have all kinds of good ideas but the county and the city do not support them. And so we actually become an agency that encourages the city and the county to provide for the homeless,”. Herb and Lee passed down the USA to its current leadership of Nada Milijkovic and Toby Corey. 

In later years, Schmidt became deeply involved in homelessness advocacy throughout Santa Cruz County. He worked alongside churches and organizers to establish shelter networks. One of the most significant projects was called the Interfaith Satellite Shelter Program. This consisted of a network of over 30 churches providing shelter to hundreds of homeless individuals.

Schmidt’s services expanded far beyond the coast of California. Under Schmidt’s guidance, the agency sent thousands of computers to rural medical clinics. Herb also supported orphanages in Bali and water projects in Timor during his retirement ministry. Herb was not just generous but incredibly humble. When presented with an award from Fidel Castro, Schmidt insisted that the volunteer who actually performed the work of refurbishing the computers receive the award. He said, “You’re the person doing most of the work. We are there to support what you’re doing,”. 

Final thoughts

Reverend Herb Schmidt devoted his life to serving others through faith, activism, and community. In Santa Cruz, he was not just known as a pastor but also a mentor, organizer, and advocate. Alongside Paul, Schmidt created programs that supported students, the homeless, and local profits. Schmidt will always be remembered for his lasting impact on the Santa Cruz community and for his kindness, humility, and selflessness. 

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