Dr. Donna Elaine St. George passed away at home, surrounded by family on Sunday, October 19, 2025 in Redlands, CA. Born January 28, 1956 in Galesburg, Illinois, the oldest daughter of John William St. George who died June 16, 1999 and Marian Virginia Carlson who died October 11, 1971. Known to her students as DSG, Donna had a trajectory-shaping influence on countless students as a long-time teacher of History and head coach of the Academic Decathlon and Mock Trial teams at Redlands High School.
Donna graduated from Galesburg High School in 1974 and graduated with a BA in Teacher Education of Social Studies with Distinction from the University of Illinois. She graduated from Drake University Law School in Des Moines, Iowa in 1980 receiving her Juris Doctorate and was admitted to the Iowa Bar in January 1981.
She moved to Redlands, CA in March 1984, obtained her CA Teaching Credential, and began her 36 year teaching career. She taught typing and World History for 5 years and was an assistant Mock Trial and Academic Decathlon coach at San Bernardino High School. In 1990 she began teaching and coaching at Redlands High School, where she taught World History for 20 years, AP Microeconomics, US History and AP European History for 18 years. Her classes consistently achieved a 90% or better pass rate on the national exam. She began the AP Art History program in Redlands Unified School District and taught the course for 12 years, also with a 90% or better pass rate each year.
As the head coach of the RHS Academic Decathlon program, she coached the varsity team to 14 county championships and 20 trips to the state finals where they finished 8th in 1998 and 10th in 2019. As the head coach and founder of the RHS Mock Trial teams she led her teams to 16 county championships, two state titles in 1997 and 2015 and top eight finishes 12 times and two trips to National Mock Trial Championships in 1997 and in 2015. In 2006 the RHS Mock Trial team finished 3rd in the state tournament and went on to win the American Mock Trial Championship. Her Mock Trial coaching record at RHS was 331 wins and 86 losses for a winning percentage of 79%. She retired from teaching in June 2021.
She was baptized and confirmed at First Lutheran Church in Galesburg, IL and a member of First Lutheran Church in Redlands, California. She was a member of the Iowa Bar Association since 1981, a member of Phi Alpha Delta legal fraternity and Alpha Delta Kappa teaching sorority. She was a board member of Redlands Scholarship Foundation until her passing and was the RHS history department chair for six years. She was the recipient of the “Excellence in Education” Education Professional Award from San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools in 2022. In 2015 she received the “Adult Advocate of the Year” Award from the Constitutional Rights Foundation as the RHS Mock Trial Coach. She received the Pritzer Prize for Standout Coaching at the Beach Ball Classic Mock Trial Tournament in 2013.
She established scholarships in her name through Redlands Community Scholarship Foundation for History, Academic Decathlon and Mock Trial providing scholarships each year to 5-10 graduating seniors at RHS.
She is survived by her younger sister Diane Carol St. George Weimar of Manitou Springs, CO and three nieces Jennifer Hetrick of Randolph, NJ, Sara Weimar of Las Vegas, NV and Allison Weimar of Colorado Springs, CO and one nephew Jordan Weimar of Colorado Springs, CO and 2 great nephews Carter and Teddy Hetrick and 2 great nieces Lucy and Sophie Weimar of Colorado Springs, CO. She was preceded in death by her parents and younger sister Esther St. George who died December 1, 1957 shortly after her birth.
She will be buried in Hope Cemetery, Warren County, Illinois on Saturday, December 6, 2025, at 2 p.m. next to her parents, sister, and grandparents. Arrangements have been entrusted to Watson Thomas Funeral Home and Crematory, Galesburg, Illinois.
