Earlier this month, the Long Beach State Athletic Department suffered a significant loss; the death of a friend and true supporter, Pat West, at the age of 96.
Roger Kirk, the Associate Athletics Director of Communications and Broadcast, gave some further insight into the lasting impact West left on the department.
The LBSU staff member and long-time supporter first began getting involved with the athletic program nearly 40 years ago.
“She started out as the administrative assistant for our development office and worked there for nearly 20 years, Kirk said. “Then even through her retirement would continue to support the teams and come to games.”
West’s impact was felt through school athletics and in the community, “She would serve the benediction, and work with a lot of dinner-type events,” Kirk said.
Her character went far from unnoticed during her time working for the school and on campus, touching countless lives. Kirk described her as, “a constant supportive presence.”
Teams on social media offered their thoughts and condolences after her passing.
During her forty-year tenure with the school, she was able to form special connections and bonds with some of the coaches who have been on staff for more than a decade-plus, such as Kim Sowder, Dan Monson and Mauricio Ingrassia.
“Her attitude of always wanting to know how you were doing, as well as how teams, players and coaches were doing always spoke volumes to how invested she was in getting familiar with athletics, Kirk said.
The associate director of athletics said what he’d miss the most about the longtime LBSU supporter, “She was just a genuinely kind person, which is really rare to find someone who is that selfless.
“Pat was extremely competent at her job while she was working here, but it was more her attitude that was so special.”
Pat West exemplified how anyone would want to be remembered, and it is shown through how colleagues speak of her.
She was someone the Long Beach State athletic family was thankful for the opportunity to get to work with and be around for almost four decades.
She left a long-lasting legacy here, as someone who touched numerous lives and will not be forgotten anytime soon for her various contributions and upstanding character in the community, she will be deeply missed here.