In Memorium

Steve Van Wart, (March 5, 1954–March 30, 22), passed away at the age of 68. He attended Hilltop Elementary, Edgemont Jr. High and graduated from Puyallup High School in 1971 where he was an All-American swimmer.

Earning a scholarship to powerhouse Washington, he swam the breast stroke for the Pac-8 champion Husky medley relay team. As a member of the vaunted Tacoma Swim Club under coach Dick Hannula, Steve went to the 1973 National Championship in Louisville, swam on the 400-meter medley relay team that broke the American record, traveled with the U.S. national team that competed in Norway and Wales, and was invited to join the Canadian Olympics team. In 2020, Steve was inducted into the Tacoma-Pierce County Sports Hall of Fame.

His athletic story was lifelong. Whether golfing, skiing, cycling, hiking or pitching BP to his kids, Steve was gung-ho. He was a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, winning national age-group championships in 2006, 2007 and a world federation title in 2008. For years, he competed in Iron Man events, then joined the triathlon circuit (swim/bike/run). He ultimately qualified in Florida for a spot on the U.S. Triathlon Team, then finished seventh in his age-group at the 2019 World Triathlon Grand Finale in Lake Geneva, Switzerland, with some 4,000 athletes and 60 countries.

To many, he was simply the Wart Man, an always playful but seriously super-hero mix of successful businessman, talented international athlete, go-to buddy and dedicated father and husband.

Steve died suddenly from a massive stroke caused by a blood clot to his brain. He is survived by his wife Martha, sons Zack and Jake, and sisters Rosemarie and Anne-Marie.

Jim Van Beek—Jim Van Beek came out of Franklin Pierce High School and went down the road to Pacific Lutheran College, where he joined with an outstanding group of players to create a legend.

Van Been was one of the “Big Three” stars (along with Chuck Curtis and Roger Iverson) during the glory years of PLC men’s basketball. During Van Beek’s career, the Lutes won 37 straight games against Evergreen Conference rivals and represented District I at the NAIA national tournament four straight years. Van Beek was a three-time All-EvCo pick and a 1959 NAIA All-Tournament selection. In the 1959 championship game loss to Tennessee State, Van Beek led the Lutes with a team-high 24 points. To this day, he remains on the top 20 scoring list at the NAIA national tournament.

He was PLC’s leading field goal percentage shooter and averaged 12.7 points per contest during the 1956–57 season. Van Beek averaged a career-best 16.8 points per game as a senior and finished his four seasons at Pacific Lutheran with 1,207 points, averaging 11.1 per contest.

Jim is a member of the Pacific Lutheran Athletic Hall of Fame. He was also a key member of the two-time National NABA Championship Plywood Tacoma team that was recently inducted into the 2020 Tacoma-Pierce County Sports Hall of Fame.

Jim was also inducted, individually into the TPC Sports HOF in 2005.