Glendale High School Water Polo
Hall of Fame
TIM ERGANIAN, class of 1965
Glendale High School Water Polo
Hall of Fame
TIM ERGANIAN, class of 1965
Tim Erganian, together
with Paul Ainslie and Jim Simpson, formed an unstoppable one-two scoring combination on the amazing 1964 squad.
He was a two-year starter and was the second leading scorer in 1964, scoring 108 goals. He would later be the captain
of the USC water polo team.
The Death of Tim Erganian
Tim Erganian
b. 4/18/47, d. 3/12/01, age 53
"Tim was an avid bicyclist,” writes classmate Gregg Hessick. “I knew Tim since Glenoaks Elementary School.
About two years ago I was talking with Doug Jackson (GHS Class of '67) about the recent deaths of three area bicycle
shop owners all within about a month. Doug talked about how he had attended the funeral of Bob Hansing, owner
of Montrose Bike Shop. At the funeral Doug and another friend of Bob’s reminisced about how the three of them
had several times taken time off work to do 1000 mile biking trips. They agreed that in Bob's memory the two of
them should do a long ride soon. A week later the wife of the friend called Doug to inform him his friend had
died in his sleep of a massive heart attack. I was shocked when I realized a few minutes later that the friend
he was talking about was Tim.
“Tim and I both worked for Security Pacific National Bank after college. Tim left the corporate life and owned
his own bicycle shop for awhile. He then was a manufacturer's representative in the bicycle industry. Tim was a
great athlete and student. I remember him riding up to our reunion picnic at Verdugo Park on a beautiful Italian
racing bike. His legs looked stronger than Lance Armstrong's.”
Classmate Wayne Gregory writes, "Tim was a dear friend from Glenoaks to GHS. In elementary school my mom made
me pimento and cheese and liverwurst sandwiches. Tim would tease me about the liver sandwiches all the way thru
Jr. High. 'Do you got some liver for me?' I would laugh and say, 'Yeah, I got liver for you.' It was a private
joke of sorts that lived on. Our friendship was renewed as seniors, and I once asked him how he got so buffed.
Tim had an outstanding body, and he told me 'swimming.' He said no weights, 'just swimming and water polo.' He
was a class guy and friend."
Tim attended Wilson Jr. High, and at Glendale was active in sports. He was on the varsity swim and water polo teams
all three years, and was a member of Orbs. In his senior year, Tim was a “prince” in Dave Locke’s court at the
Backward Dance, and second semester was the vice president of Boys’ League. (His sister, Louise, is five years
younger, and did not attend Glendale High.)
Because Tim was a triathelete who often rode his bike 100 miles a day, his death was unexpected, and a great shock
to all who knew him. According to his wife, he came home from a business trip that day, had dinner, and went to
bed – everything seemed normal. “In the morning,” she says simply, “I woke up and he didn’t.”
He met his wife, Meg, when both were seniors at USC, where Tim was captain of the water polo team and earned a
Bachelor of Science degree and Masters in Business Administration. They were married in December 1970. Their son,
John, was born in 1974, and their son, James, in 1977. They were an extremely loving and close family. “He lived
and breathed for his sons,” says Meg. “Tim was happy just standing in the doorway watching them sleep.”