Tom McGarvin, a former 51-year resident of Pacific Palisades, passed away peacefully with his family at his side on June 18 at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage owing to complications related to heart failure. He was 88. Born in 1917 in Newman, California, and raised in Altadena, McGarvin graduated from John Muir High School in 1935 after serving as student body president his senior year. He lettered in swimming, baseball and basketball. He was captain of the basketball team and an All-Foothill League selection. Teammates on his baseball team at Muir High included Jackie Robinson and Mickey Anderson. McGarvin attended the University of Southern California from 1936-1941, where he lettered three years in basketball and one year in football. He earned several basketball honors, including first team All-Pacific Coast Conference his senior year. During the 1939-1940 basketball season USC beat Long Island University in Madison Square Garden before 18,000 fans, breaking LIU’s 41- game winning streak. That season USC advanced to the NCAA semifinals, now called the Final Four, where they lost by one point to Kansas, coached by Phog Allen. After graduating from USC, McGarvin entered the Army. During World War II he fought in Europe with the decorated 3rd Armored Division of the 1st Army, attaining the rank of major. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge and was awarded the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, and the Silver Star. In the fall of 1946, McGarvin became the head basketball coach and assistant football coach at Santa Monica High School. His basketball teams won numerous Bay League championships, and the football teams, coached by Jim Sutherland, were always feared. He also served as the golf coach. In 1954 he became the school’s athletic director and held that position until 1964, when he became basketball coach at Santa Monica City College. He coached until 1968, then served as athletic director at the college until his retirement in 1979. McGarvin and his wife, Angie, moved to the Palisades in 1949 and lived there until the fall of 2000. His three children graduated from Palisades High School. Angie passed away in 2000. Tom is survived by his two sons, Tom McGarvin of Tucson and Bruce McGarvin (wife Liz and her sons Eric and David Micotto and daughter Nadine Magray) of La Quinta; daughter Marci Neail of Indian Wells; and grandsons Kyle, Eric and Christian Neail. A memorial service will be held at Gates, Kingsley in Santa Monica at 2 p.m. on July 7. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to USC athletic scholarships in memory of Tom McGarvin, c/o Ron Orr, Heritage Hall, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0602.
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.
