Scott Malich

Eli "Scott" Malich was born and raised in the rugged Steel Town of Gary, Indiana in 1923, the year of our Lord. He was the loving son of Nick and Anja Malich who immigrated to the United States from Zagreb, Yugoslavia and the loving brother of sister Mary, also born in Gary, Indiana. Scott learned English while attending Elementary School. As a student at Froebel High School in Gary, Indiana, Scott was an All-State Basketball player who played in the Indiana State Basketball Championship Game. The movie "Hoosiers", for good reason, was Scott's favorite movie.

After World War II broke out, Scott enlisted in the United States Military to defend and protect his country. He was assigned to the Army Corp of Engineers and was a member of General McArthur's hand picked unit to lead the fight against the Japanese in the Pacific theatre. From New Guinea to the liberation of the Philippines, dodging Kamikaze attacks all the way and taking the part in multiple D-Day invasions, Scott spent more time in combat zones than anyone in his outfit. Scott has many times thanked God for President Truman and the Atomic Bomb because Scott was scheduled to be in the 1st wave of the allied invasion of the Japanese mainland. Scott received six Military Citations including three Bronze Stars.

After completing his military service, Scott played basketball at the L.A. Campus of Pepperdine University and received his undergraduate degree. Scott then moved on to the University of Southern California where he earned his Master's Degree. Scott married and moved to Whittier, California where he had two children. He is survived by his daughter, Vicki Robertson and her husband Paul, son Nick Malich and his wife Wanda, and four grandchildren, Doug, Greg, Mandi and Nikki.

Scott entered education, a career that would span 38 years. His first teaching job was in Buena Park at Grand Avenue School. Then he moved to Buena Park High School where he spent nearly his entire career. Scott was Department Chair, Adult Education Principal, Athletic Director, UCI Extension Principal, Driver's Education and Physical Education teacher. Coach Malich will be remembered mostly for the indelible impact he made on the many athletes he coached. He was the master motivator and complete coach. His players admired, adored and emulated him. As a basketball coach, Scott led Buena Park High School to League Championships, including two undefeated seasons. In cross-country his team won the CIF Championship and he was CIF Coach of the Year. To culminate his coaching career, Scott Malich was a charter inductee of the Buena Park High School Hall of Fame.

Scott was the perfect father, fully dedicating his life to his family. He loved traveling and visited the 48 contiguous states, collecting random state rocks along the way. His entire life he was an avid student of history with an insatiable appetite for World War II history. Scott was a lifetime Lakers fan, cheering on Jerry, Wilt, Elgin, Kareem, Magic, Worthy, and Kobe. His residence had a room dedicated to Lakers memorabilia. He also enjoyed music, especially "The Beatles", "The Stones", Frank Sinatra, "The Red Hot Chili Peppers", and light opera (jk ?).

Scott lived his entire life independently and his major joy
in his latter years came from watching his grandchildren grow up. Scott, indeed, was a hero to many and led a most blessed life. We who know Scott Malich will always carry with us his abundant love and the life lessons he taught us.