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Crum tosses in beach towel after three decades on beach
by Arthur Verge
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Lifeguard Gary Crum helps a swimmer from the water in the early 90s. Photo by Michael Macdonald
Former lifeguard and 1998 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient John McFarlane warns Crum about the hazards of retirement. Photo by Kevin Cody
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Over 250 friends and co-workers of retiring Southern Section Lifeguard Chief Gary Crum gathered Sunday at Sangria’s restaurant in Hermosa Beach to pay tribute to Crum for his 35 years of public safety service. Following in the footsteps of his legendary lifeguard father Dwight Crum, Gary joined the LA County Lifeguard Service in 1966. Having been raised near Avenue C in Redondo Beach, the young guard was well acquainted with the ocean and the beach going public, which proved to be an asset in his quick accession within the lifeguard organization.
County Supervisor Don Knabe, who was greeted with large applause by an appreciative lifeguard audience at Sunday’s event, said Crum was instrumental in helping the County Lifeguards merge into the County Fire Department. Among the many benefits of the popular merger was that it enabled the lifeguard service to upgrade both its training and its equipment.
Supervisor Knabe also noted Crum's work in helping the County Lifeguards wrestle back control of several South Bay beaches, which had been temporarily lost to the State of California in a financial dispute. The Crum's family long-standing reputation throughout the South Bay aided the County Lifeguards in that fight, Knabe said.
Reflecting on his 35 years of lifeguarding, Chief Crum noted that his only regret was that his father hadn’t lived to see him finish out his career as the Section Chief of the South Bay. "He was my best friend," Crum told his colleagues.
Among the more than 100 lifeguards in attendance was retired lifeguard lieutenant Nate Shargo. Still in good health, the 92-year-old Shargo was the area supervisor at Ave. C when Crum was brought to the beach as an infant by his parents. The evening's event ended with the presentation of the LA County Lifeguard's Association's highest award, "The Bronze Savage." The handcrafted sculpture represents the lifeguard's dual goal of being "at one with the ocean" while at the same time, at all physical costs, protecting the public from its dangers.
Replacing Crum, will be another South Bay local, newly appointed Lifeguard Chief Phil Topar. Like Crum, Topar is intent on maintaining the highest level of public service possible. He has also made it his goal to retain the friendly camaraderie that the South Bay lifeguards are known for. ER