Perry's compassion remembered at service

FULLERTON A large group of loyal swimmers and coaches turned out Wednesday to remember Kevin Perry.

The veteran coach of the Fullerton-based FAST swim club died last week from prostate cancer.

“Kevin, to me, was pretty much a father figure,” said FAST standout Tyler Clary, a freshman at Michigan who attended the memorial service at the Muckenthaler Cultural Center.

“He was there for me in ways that most coaches couldn't even come close (to).”

More than 300 people attended the service, including swimming legend Janet Evans.

It was Evans (El Dorado) who helped make FAST well-known in the late 1980s. But when Perry took over the club in 1993, it was on hard times.

But Perry revived FAST and this year, it earned gold medal status with USA Swimming.

Another of his accomplishments was helping the club form a partnership with the city of Fullerton in the operation of the pool at Independence Park.

But in-pool achievements weren't what many shared about Perry on Wednesday.

“He was probably one of the easiest people to talk to on the deck,” said former Troy standout Chris Na, who swam for Perry for about 14 years at FAST.

“It was never about him. It was always about helping others.”

Evans was just part of a strong USA Swimming presence at the service. Another Olympian, Josh Davis, was the event's emcee. Mary Jo Swalley, vice president of program development, also was a speaker.

“What Kevin brought was a vision of helping young people become young adults, not just faster swimmers,” she said.

Contact the writer: dalbano@ocregister.com