The fourth annual Aquatic Capital Hall of Fame Dinner & Ceremony on Thursday, September 19 at the Pete Archer Rowing Center will include the induction of 11 new surfers, swimmers, lifeguards, rowers, sailors and water polo players into in the hall of fame.
Dinner is at 7 p.m. and will be catered by Naples Rib Company. The Hall Of Fame ceremony is at 8 p.m.
CLICK HERE For Online Purchase Of Seats
To Pay By Check Please Mail To:
Parks Wesson
221 Prospect Ave.
Long Beach, CA 90803
For Questions Email: Parks.Wesson@crc.com OR Gennifer Billish at GennBillish@gmail.com
Mark Martinson- Surfing
Mark was born and raised in Long Beach and attended Wilson High School. He began surfing at age 10 and soon began to win surf contests. He was the runner up at the 1962 West Coast Surfing Championships. In 1964, he won the United States Invitational. Mark’s signature moment came in 1965 when he won the U.S. Championships. After this, he travelled the world with the MacGillivray/Freeman team filming and starring in Free and Easy (1967) and Waves of Change (1970). Martinson is also recognized for being among the first California surfers to convert to the new, shorter boards in the late- ‘60s. Coming full circle by the 1990s, he shaped a line of longboards for Robert August Surfboards in Huntington Beach. Mark has been inducted into the Surfing Walk of Fame in Huntington Beach.
Steve Pezman – Surfing
A fixture of the Southern California surfing scene, Steve Pezman began surfing in 1957 while attending Wilson High in Long Beach, frequenting Seal Beach and Huntington surf. He began shaping surfboards in the mid-60s and partnered with Stu Herz as the surfing industry’s first private label board builders and ended up co-owning Huntington Beach surf shop and Creative Design. He joined Petersen’s International Surfing magazine as Associate Editor in 69 and moved to Surfer Magazine in same capacity in ’70. Steve then became the Publisher of Surfer Magazine from 1971-1991. With wife Debbee, Steve started The Surfer’s Journal in ’92. The classy magazine is still in publication today. Over last several decades Steve has authored many articles on surfing for surf and general audience publications, published the Book of Waves, the Masters of Surf Photography and Pioneer series of surf photo books. Along with Debbee, Steve was the Executive Producer of The Surfer’s Journal T.V. series, which ran from 1968 to 2001.
Sherri Kline – Rowing
A 1996 graduate of Long Beach State, Sherri became a member of the Long Beach Rowing Association in 1994, where she quickly became a national and international level rower. She won gold medals at the US Rowing Nationals in 1995 (Singles and Eights), 1997 (Eights, Quads and Doubles); 1998 (Eights and Quads), and 1999 (Quads and Doubles). Sherri was equally successful internationally. In 1996 she won the doubles at the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta. In 1999, Sherri won the Gold in the quads at the World Championships at Saint Catharine’s in Canada. In 2000 she retired from elite level racing but came out of retirement in 2010 and won the doubles at the 2010 Royal Canadian Henley Regatta in the Senior Division, and in 2017, won the Gold Medal in the Masters’ Quads at the Henley Royal Regatta on the Thames River in London.
Guy Baker- Water Polo
Guy was the head coach for the United States Women’s water polo team in 2004 and 2008. In 2004, the team won the silver medal and in 2008, they won the bronze medal. Baker elevated the Women’s National to international status. His groundwork started a dynasty, with the 2012 and 2016 teams winning gold medals. Baker also served as the assistant men’s national team coach. Baker also coached the UCLA Bruins men’s and women’s teams to multiple NCAA Championships. The men’s team won in 1995, 1996, 1999 and 2000. The women’s team won in 1996, 1997 and 1998. A 1987 graduate of Long Beach State, Baker earned All-American honors as a member of the 1983 Long Beach State water polo team. Guy has been inducted into the UCLA and USA Water Polo Halls of Fame.
Tom Hermstad – Water Polo
While an accomplished water polo player at Wilson High School, Long Beach State and for the Long Beach Inland Nu-Pike club team, Tom’s primary claim to fame was becoming one of the finest international water polo referees in USA Water Polo history. He was selected to be a referee in four Olympic Games: 1972 in Munich, 1976 in Montreal, 1984 in Seoul and 1988 in Los Angeles. He was also selected to referee at four World Championships, two Pan American Games and numerous other high-level international competitions. Swimming World Magazine ranked Tom as one of the top ten referees in the World. Tom was also the head water polo coach at Golden West College from 1966 through 1985, winning a stunning eight State Championships. Tom became the Athletic Director at Golden West. As a player, Tom helped Long Beach State to a national championship in 1960. Tom has been inducted into the Long Beach State and USA Water Polo Halls of Fame
Kyle Kopp – Water Polo
When injuries derailed a promising basketball career at UC-Riverside, Kyle transferred to Long Beach State where he turned in a dynamite career. Kopp was a three-time All-American and was also named to the NCAA Championship All-Tournament team in 1988 and 1989. In 1988 and 1990 Kopp was named the Big West’s Most Valuable Player while at the same time jumpstarting a run on the USA Men’s Senior National Team that would last over a decade. A member of four World Championship teams, Kopp represented the United States at the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games. A member of the 1997 FINA Cup Gold Medal winning squad, he retired in the early 2000s after a five-year run of professional water polo in Greece. From there Kopp segued into coaching, helping the USA Women’s Senior National Team to Gold at the 2003 & 2007 World Championships, Bronze at the 2004 Olympic Games and Silver at the 2008 Olympic Games. Currently Kopp serves as Head Coach of the USA Women’s Youth National Team and the Golden West College Women’s Swimming & Water Polo squads. Kyle has been inducted into the Long Beach State and USA Water Polo Halls of Fame.
Dick Jochums – Swimming
Dick earned a scholarship to the University of Washington where he became an All-American sprinter. Jochums took a teaching job at Long Beach State, where Don Gambril had selected him to be his successor at the school and with the Long Beach Swim Club. It was here, in the era of American male swimming dominance, that Dr. Dick Jochums would become the USA’s middle-distance guru at Long Beach, and later at the University of Arizona and finally at the Santa Clara Swim Club. Dick placed swimmers on every major USA International Team from 1968 to 2006, with the exception of 1996. Dick was the assistant or head coach or head coach of eight major USA National Teams. He coached 25 world record swimmers and two Olympic gold, five Olympic silver and five Olympic bronze medal winners. His most famous swimmer was Long Beach’s Tim Shaw who held simultaneous world records in the 200-meter, 400-meter, 800-meter and 1500-meter freestyle events. Dick has been inducted into the International Swimming, American Swim Coaches Association and International Swim Coaches Halls of Fame.
Dick Miller – Lifeguarding
Dick played water polo and swam in at Wilson High School before matriculating to San Jose State, where he was a member of the swim and water polo teams. From 1950 to 1974, Dick was a seasonal lifeguard for the City of Long Beach. Dick was a highly successful swim and water polo coach at Millikan and Poly High Schools. In 1974, he was appointed Chief of the Long Beach Lifeguards a position he held for 11 years. Dick was responsible, with Pat Flynn, for developing the Junior Lifeguard program, which started with 20 Junior Guards and has developed into a program with over 500 participants. During his career as Chief, Dick was responsible for many innovations, including introducing the EMT program from St. Mary Hospital, starting the Dive Team, developing the Lifeguard Code of Ethics, initiating a program where Rescue Boat Operators could write citations. He completed his career with the City of Long Beach as the head of the Marine Bureau from 1984-1995. Dick is a past President of the California Surf Lifesaving Association and the United States Lifesaving Association. He was heavily involved in international lifesaving competitions, taking U.S. teams to compete in South Africa, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Australia. He has been the mentor for the STEM program teaching kids how to be safe in and around our waters. Chief has also been a part of numerous foundations and groups supporting our community and youth.
Steve Furniss- Swimming
Steve was a member of the Long Beach Swim Club, where he swam for fellow nominee Dick Jochums. Steve competed in the 1972 Munch Olympic Games earning a bronze medal in the 200 Individual Medley. As team captain Steve triumphantly led the U.S. Olympic Swim Team in the 1976 Montreal Games, to 12 out of 13 gold medals, a team regarded by most sports historians as the most dominating Olympic sports team ever assembled, winning 12 of 13 (92%) possible gold medals and 27 of 35 (77%) possible total medals.. Steve captured a silver medal in the 1975 World Championships of Cali, Columbia. He competed in Pan American Games in Cali in 1972 and Mexico City in 1975 earning four gold medals. During his collegiate career Steve won four individual NCAA titles and was part of three National Championship teams captaining the 1975 Trojan National Championship team. Steve was also a two-time All- American water polo player for USC (1973-74). Steve and his brother Bruce made swimming history. Steve was world record holder for the 200 IM during 1975-1976, then just one-year later; Bruce broke his own brother’s world record, a historical occurrence that has never repeated in any Olympic sport. In 1975, Steve set a second World Record as part of Long Beach Swim Club’s 800-meter freestyle relay, the last time a club team set a world record.
Bruce Furniss – Swimming
Bruce swam for fellow nominee Dick Jochums at the Long Beach Swim Club. Bruce was a member of the 1976 Olympic Swim Team and won gold medals in the 200-meter freestyle and 4 x 200-meter free relay, setting world records in each event. Bruce also won two gold and two silver medals at the 1975 World Aquatics championships. During his career, Bruce broke the 200-meter freestyle world record four different times (including twice in one day at the 1975 World Swimming Championships team trials), and kept the 200-meter world record from 1975 to 1979. While swimming for the Long Beach Swim Club, Bruce, his brother Steve, Tim Shaw and Rex Favaro broke the world record in the 4 x 200-meter freestyle relay, the last club team in history to break a world record. Bruce was named the World Swimmer of the year by Swimming World Magazine in 1975 and 1976. He has been inducted into the International Swimming, and the USC halls of fame. In 2000, Bruce was selected to the “USA Swimming” Swim team of the 20th Century.
Peter Melvin – Sailing
Pete, a member of the Alamitos Bay Yacht Club won three World Championships as a helmsman (Youth Doublehanded-1977; A Class Catamaran in 1997 and 2005. He also won over thirty U. S. National, North American and Continental sailing championships. Pete was the helmsman at the 1988 Olympic Games in the Tornado Catamaran Class. He has achieved multiple world records in offshore sailing, including Transatlantic and Transpacific records. Peter was a major contributor to America’s Cup sailing. He was head of the independent team that developed design and rules for the 2017 competition. He was also the designer for the Emirates Team New Zealand boats for the 2010 and 2013 America’s Cup.
