A LIFE WELL LIVED, FOR SURE!

Cathryn Ottun Marcellin

1935-1999

I met Cathy in college.  One year behind me, she was the hit of the class that entered little George Pepperdine College in the fall of 1954.  She was one of the most personable girls I met in that class and when she walked into a room, the room simply lit up with her bubbly, confident, and cheerful self.  She liked everybody, and everybody liked her.

We quickly learned that she was from Bishop, California, and while being in a small college near downtown Los Angeles was, on the one hand, a real treat for her,  on the other hand not a day went by that she didn't miss Don Marcellin, her boyfriend, who was "back home."

She gave a great deal to the music department at Pepperdine, which is where I met her.  She had a versatile singing voice, capable of doing wonderful things as solos, in trios, and in the full choir.  She had a true talent and a stage presence of a professional.  Hearing her sing was a real treat.  I was lucky enough to sing in the trio with her and became her good friend.

She made sure that even though her heart was in Bishop, she didn't waste time moping around in college.  She carried a full load of classes and for social life, pledged a sorority but didn't attend events that required a date.  "It's ok," she'd say.  "I've got Don waiting for me."

Shortly before the school year ended, she decided she'd had as much time away from Bishop as she wanted and would not return to Pepperdine the following year.  For a long time, we kept in touch via Christmas cards and then eventually we lost contact.

It was during my genealogical research a few years ago that I found her name listed on the Social Security Death Index, and I was able to locate her oldest daughter, Sandy, via the Bishop library and the internet.  Sandy told me that she had been unwell for some time; heart problems ran in her family, and Cathy died quite suddenly, probably because she didn't want to slow down from spreading the gospel to anyone who would listen.  Cathy had become a Christian early in her adult life, and in her obituary I read, "Mrs. Marcellin's family says she never hesitated to share her faith with those around her, and it didn't matter whether she knew you or not."  As to the time of her death, Sandy wrote me that "she'd asked a friend to read to her Ephesians 1, out of her 'wordy' Bible (the Amplified)."  It was at this time, at the young age of 63, that she passed on.  She left two daughters, Sandy and Kelly, a son, Doug, grandchildren and other family members.  Her beloved Don preceded her in death.

Cathy is a good example of my idea of an IMMORTAL NOBODY, and I am reminded of a bible verse that  certainly applies to her:  Matthew 25:21 "…Well done, thou good and faithful servant"

SHORT LIFE & LONG REMEMBRANCE

In 1953 when I entered George Pepperdine College in Los Angeles (the OLD Pepperdine, not the new one in Malibu), I met Carl Osterhaus, also an entering freshman.  He was a heck of a nice fellow, a great athlete and a good addition to Pepperdine's baseball team.  Everybody liked him.

Near the end of our sophomore year, Carl died of an aneurysm.  It was the first time most of us had been touched by the death of one of our contemporaries.  It was really hard for us.  I remember Eddie Myers, my friend and a frat brother of Carl, breaking the news to me.  It was something I never forgot.

I don't want Carl to be forgotten, so checking the internet for anything pertaining to his short life, I turned up the information below

Randy Angel, Easy Reader News, Hermosa Beach, CA

Published March 24, 2005

It took five decades, but Mira Costa High School formally honored its first baseball star last Saturday with the dedication and unveiling of a Mustang green-and-gold sign, proclaiming the home diamond as Carl Osterhaus Memorial Field.

Carl Osterhaus was a standout pitcher and a member of Mira Costa’s first graduating class in 1953. He led the Mustangs to a CIF championship that season, hurling two no-hitters, winning 10 straight games, and being honored as the team’s outstanding player.

Osterhaus’ dominance on the mound earned him a baseball scholarship to Pepperdine College (now University), where he pitched until his life was drastically cut short at the end of his sophomore year. He died of a brain aneurysm.

Soon thereafter, Mira Costa administrators decided the baseball field would officially be named Carl Osterhaus Memorial Field. But as time went on and memories faded, no official marker had ever been placed.
A group of former Mira Costa teachers and alumni who remembered Osterhaus began a drive in 2004 to raise funds for the sign, which now stands prominently above the bleacher section and is visible from the field and Meadows Avenue.

After the Mira Costa band and cheerleading squad supplied pre-ceremony entertainment, Master of Ceremonies Bob Brigham introduced former teachers and teammates of Osterhaus, before Bill Kelly and Jerry Striff removed the tarp to unveil the overdue memorial.

Kelly, who was Osterhaus’ catcher for the Mustangs, recalled the pinpoint accuracy his battery mate possessed.
Striff, who had lived across the street from the Osterhaus family, was in Little League when Osterhaus pitched for Mira Costa and remembered how much he idolized the tall southpaw.

Among those in attendance was Osterhaus’ Pepperdine coach John Scolinos, whose college coaching career spanned 45 years and included three National Championships while at Cal Poly Pomona. A member of the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, Scolinos was named as the NCAA Division II Coach of the Century by Collegiate Baseball. ER

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Hermosa Beach hasn't forgotten him, and I haven't either.  RIP, Carl.