Ward O'Connell, 77, passed away on August 25, 2009. Ward taught public school in Miami, Florida and Washington and Sunnyvale, California. Later, he became the diving coach at the famed Santa Clara Swim Club while teaching school. He, then, became the water polo and diving coach at Yale University and diving coach at ASU for 31 years. He was honored with numerous accolades as a diving coach, among them being the USA diving coach for the Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Canada and later in Cali, Columbia. He was also the World University Games Coach in Tokyo, Japan. He was a recipient of the prestigious Fred Cady Diving Award which is given to those who have dedicated a lifetime to the sport of diving.