Please join us in remembering and honoring Gary
Sadly, our good friend, mentor, and swimming coach Gary William Thorp, Class of 1981 from Rider University, passed away on Friday, December 30, 2022. So many of us are grateful to Gary for his unwavering support, friendship and mentorship. Several of us have come together to begin an effort to leave a legacy at Gary's alma mater to express our appreciation to him in a manner that we feel he would have appreciated. We hope you will join us in this endeavor.
How you can help establish Gary's legacy
We ask you to consider making a contribution to support The Gary W. Thorp '81 Memorial Endowed Scholarship that will be awarded to one or more students on Rider's Men's and Women's Swim Teams. All contributions are welcome. Our goal is to raise $25,000 so that the
scholarship is endowed with proceeds being awarded annually -
on a permanent basis. If you swam with or for Gary,
attended church with him, ate at one of his barbecues or were otherwise
impacted by this wonderful man, we hope you will join us in remembering
Gary in this thoughtful way.
About Coach Gary
Gary was born on August 7, 1959 in Plainfield, NJ, the youngest of three children. He grew up in Warren and later moved to Basking Ridge, where he lived for almost 40 years. After attending Watchung Hills High School, Gary graduated from Rider University in 1981 with a degree in Business Administration/Management and Organizational Behavior. He began working at CSL Water Quality in Warren shortly thereafter, kickstarting a highly successful career in the field. He learned the business from the ground up and was a hard-working, dedicated employee, ultimately achieving the title of Vice President of the firm.
As we all know, Gary was an avid swimmer, both competitively and for fun. He started at a very young age and swam competitively all the way through high school and college. Gary’s love for swimming continued through the years, and in the early 90s he enjoyed great success coaching the Somerset Hills YMCA team where many of us learned the ropes. When not working or coaching, Gary spent time at his home on Long Beach Island body surfing, fishing, and swimming. He was an excellent cook and greatly enjoyed barbecuing for family and friends after a day at the beach.
Gary was an active member of St. James Catholic Church in Basking Ridge and regularly attended mass. He was just 63 years old when he unexpectedly passed.