Otto died March 31 2024 this year at the age of 90 years . A Professor and a diving extraordinaire certified over 2000 students and spent ten years on Board of Directors for the Los angeles County underwater Instructors Association . He remained a active diver all his life , his loss to the dive comunity will be hard to relace . Otto was extremely knowledgeable , adventurous and had a great sense of humor , Kimberly Knapp Class of 83 . God Bless Us On This Road Of Life Rumdumb
In Memory of Otto Gasser
- Thread starter Eastwest
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Still Kicking
Contributor
RIP. He was a great diver, storyteller and sharer of secret spots!
I love his stories of Santa Monica Bay sites.
Otto spent his professional career as a professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, California. Dr. Gasser spent 37 years at Cal Poly before retiring in 2001. During that time, he taught a number of classes including Anatomical Kinesiology, Physiology of Exercise, and Sports Psychology. He also initiated a multilevel Scuba training curriculum on campus and certified over 2,000 students in scuba. He served as the University's Diving Safety Officer and represented the campus on the California State College and Universities Diving Safety Committee. Off campus, Otto spent ten years on the Board of Directors for the Los Angeles County Underwater Instructors Association, three of them as President. Over the years, he volunteered time on a number of county Scuba training programs and authored several articles about diver training.
After retiring from Cal Poly, Otto married Pam De Vries-Gasser in 2003. He remained an active recreational diver for many years, visiting dive locations in California, on Hawaii's Big Island, in Indonesia, and the Caribbean islands. Otto also served as a volunteer for the Mount Pinos Ranger District of the Los Padres National Forest, assisting in botanical surveys on the national forest lands surrounding his mountain home. He enjoyed photography as a hobby, both underwater and nature subjects. He was the primary photographer for A Field Guide to the Plants of the San Emigdio Mountains Region of California, a regional botanical guide written by his wife, Pam. Otto also wrote several fiction novels and a local diving guide, the Santa Monica Bay Diving & Fishing Log.
Otto is survived by his wife, Pam De Vries-Gasser; daughter Pam Clark (Fred, deceased) of Riverside, California; grandson Kevin Clark of Riverside, California; granddaughter Amy Ruggiero (Frank) of Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina; granddaughter Leah Zeidler-Ordaz (Zane) of Pasadena, California; and five great-grandchildren.
Otto Gasser Obituary
October 1, 1933 - March 31, 2024 Otto Frank Wilbert Gasser died on March 31, 2024, aged 90, with his beloved wife Pam at his side. An only child, he was born to Naomi June (Shields) and Otto Gasser in Santa Monica, California on October 1, 1933. After graduating from Santa Monica High School, Otto served in the U. S. Navy during the Korean War as a Quartermaster on a minesweeper. Returning home after his tour of duty, he married his high school sweetheart, Paula Kay Gilchrist, and went back to school on the G.I. Bill, eventually obtained his Doctorate in Educational Psychology from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). Otto and Paula had two daughters, Pam (1956) and Lisa (1958-2005). Otto and Paula divorced in 1996 but remained amicable.Otto spent his professional career as a professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, California. Dr. Gasser spent 37 years at Cal Poly before retiring in 2001. During that time, he taught a number of classes including Anatomical Kinesiology, Physiology of Exercise, and Sports Psychology. He also initiated a multilevel Scuba training curriculum on campus and certified over 2,000 students in scuba. He served as the University's Diving Safety Officer and represented the campus on the California State College and Universities Diving Safety Committee. Off campus, Otto spent ten years on the Board of Directors for the Los Angeles County Underwater Instructors Association, three of them as President. Over the years, he volunteered time on a number of county Scuba training programs and authored several articles about diver training.
After retiring from Cal Poly, Otto married Pam De Vries-Gasser in 2003. He remained an active recreational diver for many years, visiting dive locations in California, on Hawaii's Big Island, in Indonesia, and the Caribbean islands. Otto also served as a volunteer for the Mount Pinos Ranger District of the Los Padres National Forest, assisting in botanical surveys on the national forest lands surrounding his mountain home. He enjoyed photography as a hobby, both underwater and nature subjects. He was the primary photographer for A Field Guide to the Plants of the San Emigdio Mountains Region of California, a regional botanical guide written by his wife, Pam. Otto also wrote several fiction novels and a local diving guide, the Santa Monica Bay Diving & Fishing Log.
Otto is survived by his wife, Pam De Vries-Gasser; daughter Pam Clark (Fred, deceased) of Riverside, California; grandson Kevin Clark of Riverside, California; granddaughter Amy Ruggiero (Frank) of Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina; granddaughter Leah Zeidler-Ordaz (Zane) of Pasadena, California; and five great-grandchildren.
Bob Evans
Contributor
Gosh, I remember Otto from filling his tank on the Emerald in 1971. He was always so nice with his students.
Glen from UCLA always joined his group. The cost for a air fill on Captain Glen Millers "Emerald" was one dollar. Me holding all the cash. Photo by Chris Swain. I also will remember his comments on diving safety. Another true diving hero.
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