Tom Hermstad

Tom Hermstad, an amazing husband, father, grandfather, uncle, friend, coach and legendary aquatic sportsman, passed away peacefully on March 29th. He was a waterman who loved the ocean: surfing, scuba diving, fishing, and sailing-he did it all and did it well. Cycling and volleyball were also passions of his, and he did both at a very high level.
Tom grew up in Long Beach, CA, graduating from Wilson High in 1957. At ten-years-old, he delivered the Independent Press Telegram for several years and saved his money. It was then that his tenacity for hard work, numbers and saving took hold...attributes that eventually led him to save enough for a down payment on a home in Seal Beach, CA.
Tom attended Long Beach State and graduated in 1961 as an SAE. He captained the water polo team to a championship thereby solidifying his future in water polo and swimming. He then started his aquatic coaching career at Lakewood High in Long Beach which launched his life-long journey of teaching and coaching. He was also a Coast Guard veteran.
He met his wife Lynn at Long Beach State- getting married in 1963. He had his son Tom in 65 and daughter Carrie in 67.
In 1966, Tom began his coaching and teaching position at the brand-new community college, Golden West, where his teams won over 400 games and seven state titles in water polo and swimming over his 38-year tenure, including 15 years of leadership as the Athletic Director and later as Dean of Instruction. When Title IX became law in the 90s, Tom was one of the first to champion women's sports at the collegiate level, starting the women's water polo program at Golden West College. To this day, his legacy lives on with the continued success of the water polo and swimming programs he started at Golden West.
In 1972, Tom was an international water polo referee in the Munich, Germany Olympic Games, going on to officiate in three more Olympics: Montreal (1976), LA (1984), and South Korea (1988).
Other notable accomplishments were: Coach of the Year, California Community College, LB State Sports, USA Waterpolo, and Wilson High School Halls of Fame. The best referee of the year in collegiate water polo is awarded the Tom Hermstad Award.
Tom was preceded in death by his parents Frances and Ulrich, and his two brothers Bill and David. He is survived by his wife Lynn, his brother Jon, his son Tom, Tom Jr.'s wife Lynn, his daughter Carrie and Carrie's husband Steve Colon, grandchildren Riley and Addie Hermstad, and nieces Kirsten Hermstad and Channon MacEachern.
Memorial contributions may be made to the CSULB Men's Volleyball program thru the CSULB Foundation, the Bolsa Chica Land trust, or any charity of your choice.
Tom's encouragement was, "You never catch a wave if you don't paddle - Keep Paddling!".
As he always signed off-'Mahalo and Keep Paddling'.