In Memory of
Richard Chamberlin
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February 9, 2006 FACULTY (1958-1993) Richard Hartwell Chamberlin Coach dies after being hit by carWas on way home from wrestling tourneyBy CLARISSA ALJENTERA and JOHN DEVINEHerald Staff WritersRichard Chamberlin, a longtime track and field coach at Pacific Grove High School, crossed Sunset Drive thousands of times during the past 48 years. It was a quick walk to his home, across the street from the school where he taught science for nearly 35 years. Chamberlin, 72, was killed late Thursday while taking the familiar path home. Chamberlin was walking home after attending the Mission Trail Athletic League wrestling championships at Pacific Grove, an event he had coordinated, when he was hit by a car. Though he had retired as a teacher 12 years ago, Chamberlin was still wearing a path between his home and the high school, still coaching and directing other athletic events. "He probably made the walk 50 times a week," Pacific Grove Athletic Director Todd Buller said. "We're all in shock. He touched a lot of people." Grief counselors were on hand Friday for students and teachers. "Some kids went home," Buller said. "He had 40 kids on his cross country team this past fall. I think it's taken a while to sink in. But we're starting to feel the impact." Chamberlin was slated to begin his 49th season as a track coach at Pacific Grove on Monday as an assistant to Tom Light. It is uncertain when practice will start. Officers said Roger Holiday, the 74-year-old driver of the car that hit Chamberlin, apparently did not see Chamberlin in the crosswalk. Holiday was headed west on Sunset Drive, which is a part of Holman Highway. A driver behind Holiday said he saw someone in the crosswalk. But it was too late to stop, Pacific Grove Cmdr. Tom Uretsky said. Friday morning, Chamberlin's front porch light was still on and a rolled newspaper was sitting in his driveway. Neighbors on Sunset Drive were shocked when they heard about the accident. Moe Ammar, who has lived next door to Chamberlin for seven years, heard tires screeching from inside his home. When he and his wife, Trina, ran outside, they found Chamberlin unconscious. A neighbor gave Chamberlin a blanket and clutched his hand while he lay in the street. "(Chamberlin) should have died a peaceful death in his bed," Trina Ammar said. She said Chamberlin sent her flowers when she and her husband celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary last year. When asked, Chamberlin told Ammar to "expect to get one bouquet each month for a year because it's quite a task being married for 25 years." Despite retiring as a teacher 12 years ago, Chamberlin remained the head cross country coach and was an assistant in track, where he continued as meet director of the annual Pacific Grove Rotary Invitational. "It broke my heart when I heard about it," Carmel track coach John Ables said. "He was old school and I like old school. He was about sacrifice and giving. I already miss him." Pacific Grove canceled all sporting events and a school play Friday in memory of Chamberlin. "That guy was an institution," said Mike Ramirez, former track and cross country coach at Gonzales High. "When you think of track and field and how to do things right, you think of Richard Chamberlin. It's put a damper on this season. It's puts things in perspective." Chamberlin had the distinction of coaching a Central Coast Section champion boys cross country team in 1974, when there were no divisions. He also coached long jumper Johnny Johnson, who holds the Monterey County record with a leap of 25 feet, 2 inches in 1964. Last year, the Mission Trail Athletic League changed its annual League Relays meet to the Richard Chamberlin Invitational. Chamberlin made up the league schedules for all sports in the Mission Trail, Monterey Bay and Tri-County Athletic leagues. "He's irreplaceable," Ken Kline, King City's athletic director, said. "He's the heart and soul of high school sports. He kept the train running on time. He never said a negative thing about anyone." During school Friday, a student and runner of Chamberlin's brought in a biography that he had written about his coach for people to read and reminisce. "He is the most sufficient person we've had at this school in the last 50 years," Buller said. "I'm trying to remember all the positives. Because there are so many." Services are pending.
More than a coach will be missedJohn Devine Just a Thought In The Monterey Herald 2/19/06Listen to the answering machine and the voice is alive and well. Drive by Richard Chamberlin's home and his car remains unmoved, tucked neatly against the fence. Chamberlin didn't have much use for a vehicle. He lived 100 feet from where he worked for nearly 50 years at Pacific Grove High. At 72, Chamberlin, who never married, was still doing what he treasured, what he devoted his life to -- working with kids. No one could have envisioned when he left the gym after the Mission Trail Athletic League wrestling championships, that it would be the last time we'd see him. Chamberlin died 11 days ago after being struck by a car as he was crossing Sunset Street to his home, leaving a school, former athletes and a coaching fraternity in a state of shock. One coach called him irreplaceable. Another deemed it "a dark day for track and field." And yet, another coach went so far as to call his answering machine to say goodbye. "I first met Richard in 1966 at a CCS meeting," King City coach Jim Stireman said. "One of my sons occasionally would spend weekends with him when he was younger. He was more than a coach to me." His untimely death came three days before the start of track season, where he was set to begin his 49th season as a track coach at Pacific Grove. Glance through the fence at the track and something's missing. Oh, there are athletes and coaches. But the man you identify with Pacific Grove track is absent. At some point, you expect to here his voice. Instead, the sound of kids gasping for air and the wind howling through Breaker Stadium would have to do. Somehow, you got the feeling there was a twinkle in Chamberlin's eyes from above, a smile as big as the sky beaming down on his track team. Chamberlin would be the first to tell you, "Do not grieve over me." When his coaching peers in the MTAL named a meet after him two years ago, he blushed and said "Wait until I die." Forget for a moment losing him as a coach, not to mention an organizer of league schedules and bylaws for the MTAL, Monterey Bay League and Tri-County Athletic League. There is a void in our hearts that can't be filled. Oh, time heals all wounds. But for those that Chamberlin touched, particularly in track and field, he won't be forgotten. "He had a lot of wisdom and an incredible wealth of knowledge," said Peyton McElyea, who ran under Chamberlin. "He gave me a lot of advice on life that was invaluable." Chamberlin's legacy just isn't as a coach. He was deeply respected by his peers and liked by his pupils. "One of the things we occasionally argued about is people have limits," said McElyea, who won a 1,600-meter track title in 2001. "He reminded me it was healthy to have limits. Two or three years down the line, I realized what he was saying." Nevermind the fact that he preferred to run track meets in yards instead of meters. That dirt tracks suited him just fine, instead of a faster all-weather surface that so many schools either have or hope to have soon. If it's not broken, why fix it? Of course, his methods didn't always appeal to his colleagues. "But his heart was always in the right place," Carmel coach John Ables said. Chamberlin was efficient. His meets were run promptly. He was stern, refusing to bend the rules. "He always gave a fair, unbiased answer," Stireman said. "He would never judge you. He just gave you the facts. I learned so much from him." The numbers on his track team had dwindled in recent years. Chamberlin didn't believe in recruiting athletes on campus. He felt the sport would sell itself. In a day and age where rivalries sometimes get the best of coaches and arrogance replaces sportsmanship, Chamberlin didn't hold any animosity toward other schools or athletes. He helped younger coaches. He relished a good mark, regardless of school. Chamberlin believed in making his presence felt during practice. When meets rolled along, he laid low, preferring to let his athletes soak up the limelight. "He'd kind of just sneak up behind you," McElyea, who with the help of several Pacific Grove graduates, is starting a scholarship fund in Chamberlin's name. "He cared about all of us." His knowledge of the sport could overwhelm you. There wasn't an event he hadn't studied or mastered as a coach. Distance, though, was his forte, as evidenced by leading the 1974 boys cross country team to a Central Coast Section title. His girls team won a MTAL title in 2000. Over the last few years, there had appeared to be a resurgence at Pacific Grove for track and cross country. Last year he had nearly 40 kids come out for cross country. An all-weather track was being discussed at Pacific Grove. The hardest part might have been convincing Chamberlin to convert his 12-lane track from yards to meters. Either way, the hope is it would revive an invitational that Chamberlin started. In its hey-day in the late 1970s and early '80s, some 50 schools would congregate at Pacific Grove. Before the CCS ever went to divisions for most sports, Chamberlin's meet was a large school/small school format. To this day, it's too bad the CIF doesn't adopt a similar philosophy for track and field. Chamberlin still had a lot to offer to the sport of track. The sport hadn't passed him. There's never a right time to leave the planet. Of course, Chamberlin might argue that at least he spent his final evening doing what he cherished, at a site where he spent more than half his life, watching kids and helping adults. Memorial services When:Feb. 25, 1 p.m. Where:Breaker Stadium, Pacific Grove Other:A memorial run/walk will take place at 9 a.m. John Devine can be reached at jdevine@montereyherald.com and 646-4405. Letter to the Editor Monterey Herald Feb 18, 2006 Remembering our coach Pacific Grove suffered a terrible tragedy last week when Richard Chamberlin was struck and killed while walking home from a wrestling match. Our loss and grief is deep in this community and especially at Pacific Grove High School. He was a staff member for over 40 years but so much more than that to so many people. Coach, beloved friend, and mentor. This tragedy happened late Thursday. Early Friday, under the leadership of Principal Stan Dodd and Vice Principal Todd Buller, the whole staff was informed and counseled. They joined hands to inform, counsel and love our kids through this great loss. I am blown away by the level of care this school is giving my child and everyone else's. This letter is first and foremost a tribute to Mr. Chamberlin. He will be sorely missed. It is also a thank-you to the PGHS staff members who give to our kids so mightily. Laurie
Cameron
FAREWELL, MR. CHAMBERLINPacific Grove: Hundreds turn out to remember fallen teacherBy ANDRE BRISCOEHerald Staff WriterLongtime friends, former students and colleagues of Richard Chamberlin packed the bleachers at Pacific Grove High School's Breakers Stadium on Saturday to honor the man who was a fixture in Pacific Grove and Central California high school sports for nearly 50 years. Of the more than 1,000 people attending, at least a dozen waited in line to share personal stories of Chamberlin, 72, who was struck and killed by a car as he crossed a street near the high school earlier this month. Chamberlin's portrait hung on a stand just below a makeshift stage erected on the track field, where Pacific Grove Athletic Director Todd Buller opened the ceremony. On a stand just to Buller's right hung Chamberlin's ever-present green felt fedora hat. Some called him Richard, some referred to him as Mr. Chamberlin, still others Mr. C. But they agreed on Chamberlin's best qualities: he was someone who paid close attention to his students, he had high standards, and expected the best in the classroom and on the playing field. "He was one of the most wonderful human beings I've ever met," said John Ables, Carmel High School's track and field coach and a longtime friend of Chamberlin's. "He exemplified what I teach: sacrifice and giving. "He was always there for everybody... not just kids, but for adults and coaches," Ables said. "You could always count on Richard to help you. Like I've told all the coaches at the MTAL (Mission Trail Athletic League), we have got to stick together and get better because he is going to be watching." Community contribution| The night of the accident, Buller said, he was visiting Chamberlin and five former P.G. wrestlers in the school's gymnasium. Buller told the crowd how Chamberlin enjoyed the relationships he had built with former student athletes. "The look on his face, the joy he had in talking with these men, who were once boys who he taught wrestling, the great laugh he had, and the way about him... it will be the memory about him that I will have always." Pacific Grove Mayor Jim Costello read a proclamation recognizing Chamberlin's lifelong commitment to excellence in education and athletics. Costello presented it to Chamberlin's brother Ronald. A surprise moment during the ceremony came when a $10,000 check was given to the school's athletic program by Hugo Ferlito, board chairman of the Big Sur International Marathon, in part for Chamberlin's volunteer efforts during past marathons. Ferlito said part of the marathon's mission is to contribute to the betterment of the community. Chamberlin, he said, embodied that spirit. "This man really did live up to that (idea) of contributing to the health and welfare (of the community), especially our youth," he said. Respect and admiration| Chamberlin's influence continued years after retiring from teaching at Pacific Grove High, said Tim Minor, who graduated in 1976. "As I grew older he insisted that I call him Richard, but to me he is, and always will be, Mr. Chamberlin. He always commanded that kind of respect," said Minor. "So, out of deep respect and admiration, I'm wearing my tie and letter sweater this afternoon just as I used to when Mr. Chamberlin required it of us on the days of our track meets and cross country meets. But today I'm wearing it to honor a loving and caring man who inspired me and had a huge influence on my life as a coach, a teacher and a friend." Peyton McElyea, who was on the track team and graduated in 2001, talked about how some parents would ride with Chamberlin when attending out-of-town meets, and how he would set the cruise control to exactly 64 mph, making clear to the parents that he would not drive any faster. "The funny thing was, he never went any slower either," said McElyea, in one of the service's lighter moments. "Down through every curve and every back road he could find, he did the same 64." McElyea said students always found this funny, but not their parents. "But they always smiled and laughed about it by the end of the day," McElyea said. "The man was simply an institution to P.G. High, and how we are going to replace him, I simply don't know." Chamberlin was born May 5, 1933, in Los Angeles. He was Pacific Grove's track and field coach for 48 years. He was killed Feb. 9 while walking home after attending the league wrestling championships at the high school by a 74-year-old driver who did not see him in a crosswalk. Championship team| Chamberlin was set to begin his 49th season as a track coach at Pacific Grove. He retired from teaching science 12 years ago after nearly 35 years, but remained the school's head cross country coach, and an assistant track coach. He continued as director of the annual Pacific Grove Rotary Invitational track and field event. Chamberlin had the distinction of coaching a Central Coast Section champion boys cross country team in 1974, when there were no divisions. Last year, the Mission Trail League changed its annual League Relays meet to the Richard Chamberlin Invitational. Chamberlin made up the league schedules for all sports in the Mission Trail, Monterey Bay and Tri-County Athletic leagues. Chamberlin has been acknowledged as one of the top 25 coaches in Monterey County for the Past 100 years. "His contributions went beyond the kids and the track. He was a human being," said Moe Ammar, who lived next door to Chamberlin for seven years. Ammar and his wife, Trina, ran outside when they heard tires screeching the night Chamberlin was hit and found him unconscious. "Any time I asked him for anything that Pacific Grove needed, any cause, he always pulled his checkbook and wrote a big check," Ammar said. "Mr. Chamberlin, as your neighbor, as your friend, I will miss you." Chamberlin is survived by his brother Ronald, Ronald's wife, Katy, two nephews and one niece. A scholarship fund has been created by several of Chamberlin's former students and will be awarded annually to a deserving Pacific Grove High School senior.
From The Carmel Pine Cone, February 17, 2006 Beloved Pacific Grove track coach to be memorialized by Kelly Nix A MEMORIAL service has been planned to honor Richard Chamberlin, the most celebrated coach in Pacific Grove athletics, who was killed after being struck by a car Feb. 9. Chamberlin, 72, a longtime track and field and cross-country coach at the high school, was fatally injured while walking across Sunset Drive. For almost half a century, he has been at our school Todd Buller, the high schools athletic director and vice principal, said the morning after Chamberlin was killed. You hear about people who cant be replaced; he was the definition of that. He was a great coach and man, and he gave everything to our school. The service will be Saturday, Feb. 25, at 1 p.m. at the high schools Breaker Stadium. Hundreds of people are expected to attend. There will be so many people there, Buller said. Chamberlin was a fixture at the school for 48 years and was its most successful coach, winning 10 league championships and two Central Coast Section championships in track and field. He was also named a Central Coast Section Honor Coach for cross country. He was voted one of the top 25 coaches in Monterey County for the past century. Chamberlin also coached wrestling for years and was on his back from a wrestling match at the high school when he was killed. Last night, there were firemen he had coached and police officers he had coached, Buller said. The people in the emergency room, half of them he probably had. He was a very significant person in my life; said Tom Light, a mathematics teacher at the school and its lead track and field coach. You could talk about any thing for hours and he would listen. Light was a student at Pacific Grove High School in the 1960s and Chamberlin was his coach. When Light began working at the school 24 years ago, the two became friends. For years, Light and Chamberlin worked together for the schools track and field team. Everybody benefited from his generosity; he said. He just made it so easy to do things. Chamberlin groomed Light to become the schools track and field coach. In just the last couple of years Richard and I switched roles, and I started being coach and he was assistant. He was just a great man. Although he hadnt done so in about 10 years, Chamberlin also taught biology and computer science at the high school. The school offered counseling for students upset about Chamberlins death. He affected thousands of kids, Buller said. I think everyone is in shock and saddened. But I think he would want us to move on after we grieved a little bit. Police said Roger Holiday, 74, the driver of the vehicle that struck Chamberlin at about 9:30 p.m., didnt see him in the crosswalk. Police and the California Highway Patrol are investigating the accident. Although Chamberlin was not married and had no children, Buller said his family was the students, teachers and staff he interacted with. He was still involved in so many of his ex-players and students lives. At the end of a season, Chamberlin would often hold montage parties at his house where team members would make a montage of the seasons photographs and Chamberlin would bake cookies for the players. Richard complained of the mess those kids made of my kitchen, but it was always said with a wry smile and a touch of pride, noted a tribute to Chamberlin on the schools website. I just keep expecting him to walk through my door, Buller said.
The following is taken from a handout at the February 25, 2006 Memorial at PGHS. ( I have just a few originals. I'll mail them to classmates requesting it as long as they last.)
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