Richard Calvin Passes

Richard Calvin, a longtime teacher and coach at Half Moon Bay High School, died on Dec. 1 after a long illness. He was 83.

Mr. Calvin is remembered fondly as a longtime cross country coach at Half Moon Bay High School. He coached the Cougars from 1970-1997. Four of his boys' teams won Central Coast Section titles. In 1978, the girls' team won the CCS title when the cross country championship was a one-division competition.

The 1994 boys' team, led by Justin Stern, not only won the CCS Division IV title, but also finished third at the state meet. That's the highest showing ever by a boys' team from San Mateo County.

But there was more to Mr. Calvin than coaching the cross country team. He also coached frosh-soph baseball and basketball.

"He liked sports," said his wife, Lita Calvin. "He felt it was good for all the kids to participate in sports."

He was a full-time teacher at Half Moon Bay High School for 26 years. He started by teaching English, but also taught math.

"He taught a little bit of everything," Lita Calvin said.

The Calvins arrived in Half Moon Bay in 1960, and have been here since.

Though he retired from coaching, Calvin's legacy has remained. He founded the Artichoke Invitational, a Half Moon Bay cross country meet that attracts as many as 3,000 runners from throughout Northern California.

He said that he started after watching Half Moon Bay get swallowed up by larger schools at meets the Cougars attended. So Mr. Calvin started the Artichoke Invitational as a chance for the Cougars and other small schools to have a chance to compete on a more even field.

The Invitational has since grown to include both large and small schools, separated by divisions based upon each school's population.

While the meet was a success, it did put a damper on the Calvins' lives. The couple had trouble celebrating their wedding anniversary because it came right around the Artichoke Invitational.

At first, retiring from coaching was difficult to deal with, Mr. Calvin said in an interview. But that void was eased a bit by the fact that Kevin Ostenberg was the coach.

"He was very fond of Kevin," Calvin said. "It made it easier for Dick."

During part of his time coaching in the 1980s, he was also the high school sports reporter for the Half Moon Bay Review.

Calvin is survived by his wife of 53 years, Lita, and a son, Steve.

No services are planned.

Mr. Calvin is scheduled to be cremated, and his ashes scattered at his favorite places.