News

By Steven J. Smith

    BOCA RATON — Wes Van Beck, who distinguished himself as a lifeguard with Ocean Rescue of Boca Raton for more than 30 years, will be remembered for his selfless dedication to his work and his community — even to the point of voluntarily reducing his rank, according to coworker Clint Tracy.
    “He was a lieutenant for about a decade, but in the last 15 years of his career he took a self-demotion to lifeguard,” Tracy said. “When I first met him, he was one of my supervisors. In 2000 I got promoted and was actually his supervisor for the last 14 years.”
    Mr. Van Beck died on Nov. 6 as a result of an accidental choking incident at a Port St. Lucie restaurant.
    “It was tragic,” Tracy said. “Instead of showing the universal symbol for choking, I guess he was embarrassed and he went out into the parking lot to see if he could resolve it himself. He passed out, went into a coma and never revived.”
    More than 100 people attended Mr. Van Beck’s memorial service Nov. 20 at Red Reef Park, where he was remembered for forming Ocean Rescue’s junior lifeguard program.
    “He was the first instructor and put the first class together, back in the late 1980s or early 1990s,” Tracy said. “It’s a five- or six-week program where we familiarize kids between the ages of 10 and 17 with lifesaving techniques.”
    Tracy said Mr. Van Beck, a lifelong bachelor, was “a unique individual” who was committed to the rigid disciplines of his work-related routines.
    Mr. Van Beck was born in Evanston, Ill., in 1961. He graduated from Lake Worth High School and held a bachelor of science degree from Florida Atlantic University. He transferred to FAU in the early 1980s from a college in Kansas.
    “He had a football scholarship in Kansas, but I’m not sure how long he stayed there,” Tracy said. “But he did end up coming back to FAU, where he was certified in physical education.”
He was a lifeguard at Meadows Park Pool before he transferred to the beach in 1983.       Tracy said Mr. Van Beck dedicated his entire adult life to the city of Boca Raton and was considered a true member of Ocean Rescue’s family, as most of his own family did not remain in the area.
    “From the age of 22 to 53, he was a full-time employee of Ocean Rescue,” he said.     In lieu of flowers, donations have been requested for Treasure Coast Hospice, 5000 Dunn Road, Fort Pierce, FL 34981.