Alum Ronnie Schell Perform in Lake Tahoe

TAHOE DAILY TRIBUNE -- Schell’s a Bay Area boy who started out in San Francisco back when political humorist Mort Sahl and The Smothers Brothers appeared on the scene playing the legendary Purple Onion and Boarding House. A graduate of San Francisco State University, Schell has given back to his old college by putting on legendary comedy shows to raise funds for the athletic department — the shows always sell out. Schell was awarded the first-ever lifetime achievement award at San Francisco’s annual Comedy Day celebration, which has gone on for 40 years. The comedian used to joke that the late Harvey Korman “Used to borrow part of my act,” which I just assumed was the norm, especially since the late Milton Berle was notorious for “lifting” jokes from other comics back in the day. Schell knew Berle and a ton of other comedic legends including Tim Conway and the late Rodney Dangerfield, so the stories are endless.