Obituary: Andrew Scherman

Andrew Scherman, 52, of St. Petersburg and formerly of Sarasota, died June 8.

Born Jan. 12, 1959, in New York City, he became the youngest player at age 11 to ever compete in the World Chess Olympiad, a record not broken again until 2008.

He graduated from Hempstead High School, in Long Island, N.Y., while attending Adelphi University and went on to graduate from the University of Florida in 1980 with a bachelor’s degree in history and from law school in 1984.

Mr. Scherman worked at the State Attorney’s Office in Sarasota and went on to run a private practice for 14 years. After retiring from law, he became a professional chess coach/teacher and tournament organizer. For the past 10 years, he was president of the St. Petersburg Chess Club and served as president of the Florida Chess Association for three years. He was awarded the title of “Life Master” by the U.S. Chess Federation in 1993. In 2003, he won the U.S. G/10 National Championship in Houston, a title that he retained in 2004.

Mr. Scherman was preceded in death by his father, Dr. Norman Scherman. He is survived by his life partner, Diane Drutowski; mother, Annette Scherman, and stepfather, former Longboat Key Mayor Robert Drohlich, of Sarasota; and two cousins.

A remembrance gathering will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, June 23, at the David E. Gross Funeral Home, 6366 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. A celebration of life will take place at noon Friday, June 24, at Lazy Lobster Longboat Key, 5350 Gulf of Mexico Drive.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation, 1515 S. Osprey Ave., Suite B4, Sarasota, Fla. 34239, or Community Video Archives, 1235 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, Fla. 34239.

 Contact Robin Hartill at [email protected].