Glen H. Egstrom, Ph.D.

:: Glen H. Egstrom, Ph.D. - Distinguished Service - 1969
Science - 1981

Born in Jamestown, ND on October 16, 1928 Glen Egstrom graduated from Jamestown High School in 1946. He was very involved in athletics in High School and College. Upon graduation from High School he went to the University of North Dakota ands received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physical Education in 1950. He married Donna following graduation and they left for Tracy, California and their first teaching job in 1950. He was drafted into the Army shortly thereafter and was selected for Officer Candidate School following basic training. He graduated with the first Antiaircraft Artillery OCS class in Fort Bliss Texas. Following a short tour stateside he was sent to Korea where he served in the 3rd Infantry Division as a Platoon Leader with a Self Propelled Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion in direct support of Infantry and later as an Aerial Observer with the Air Force 6147th Tactical Air Control Squadron where he engaged in 28 combat missions before returning stateside. He was honorably discharged from the Army in 1965 as a Major. Glen was fortunate to return to his wife, Donna , then in Los Angeles, and he used the GI Bill to enroll at UCLA where he was accepted for graduate school. He was offered a position as a Teaching Assistant and in the following year, full time employment in the Physical Education Department, soon to be the Department of Kinesiology and later the Department of

Physiological Sciences at UCLA. Following the award of a Master of Science Degree, Glen continued working at UCLA full time during the period when he became a candidate for a Ph.D. in Physical Education at USC. His interest in human performance research developed while working at UCLA and became focused while engaging in his studies at USC. He was awarded the Ph.D degree in 1961 and gained new perspective on the advantages of a life in academia with an advanced degree. He observes that the circumstance is somewhat like the difference between being an enlisted man in the army and an officer in charge of something, it is far better to be a leader than a follower. During these early years at UCLA, the Egstrom family increased to five with the addition of Gail, Eric and Karen.

The year 1954 contained a milestone in his career as he was given a two hose regulator (Aqualung #1008 and a set of twin cylinders from Rene's, hydro tested in 1951) that he used for his first scuba dive at Palos Verdes, Ca. while being followed by a close friend who acted as the "bubble watcher" on the surface. His underwater career to this point had been breath holding dives using a towing sled to find lost fishing gear and outboard motors in fresh water lakes. Challenging but lucrative! A series of largely solo experiences in California's cold, low visibility water made it clear to him that the small paper back "dive manual" lacked a great deal of detail regarding the nuances of enjoyment of the underwater realm. The addition of a $25 "made to measure kit" Dive and Surf, skin one side, wet suit made an enormous difference in his interest in diving. Much of his later research on thermal problems in diving grew out of the lesson that it doesn't matter how cold the water is as long as the diver can stay warm. He became the faculty sponsor for the UCLA Skin and Scuba Club and by 1961 a formal Los Angeles County certification course had been developed and completed at UCLA. Following certification in this basic Scuba course he enrolled in the L.A. County Underwater Instructors Course in 1964 and received the "Outstanding Candidate" award upon completion. Even though he was primarily an academician he agreed to be the UCLA Diving Safety Officer from 1964 until 1992, at no increase in salary, he adds. During this time he operated a major recreational and scientific diving program whose divers have consistently distinguished themselves in the field.

Dr. Egstrom was elected President of the L.A. County Underwater Instructors Association in 1967, President of NAUI in 1970, and President of the American Academy of Underwater Sciences in 1989. The latter group was responsible for gaining an exemption for Scientific Diving from the OSHA Commercial Diving standard. He has been very active in diving education for over 50 years working with many organizations and thousands of divers in basic, advanced, public safety, scientific, military and instructor training programs worldwide. He served as Course Director or Training Director in 36 courses for underwater instructors worldwide. His heavy involvement in underwater education led him to develop an Underwater Kinesiology Laboratory at UCLA and establish a diving safety research project that would operate for over 40 years and result in over 125 publications on various aspects of underwater performance and safety. Glen and Dr. Art Bachrach co-authored Stress and Performance in Diving in 1987 in an effort to provide additional insight into the nature of the calculated risks involved in diving. Glen has also been a contributing author to four editions of the NOAA Diving Manual, four editions of Bove and Davis Diving Medicine , 3 editions of Bennett and Elliot Physiology and Medicine of Diving as well as a number or recreational diving manuals. He recently was selected to edit a major Aquatic Safety Compendium for the National Swimming Pool Foundation. He has also served as a Board Member of several organizations including Our World Underwater Scholarship Society, the National Science Foundation, Office of Polar Programs Diving Control Board, the DAN Board of Directors and the NAUI Board of Directors.

During his 50+ years of teaching experience he has enjoyed interaction with students while lecturing on topics such as applied anatomy, exercise physiology, environmental physiology, underwater physiology, aquatic kinesiology, biomechanical analysis and conditioning for optimal performances and safety and underwater performance to name a few of his favorites. He has always felt that the exposure to students is one of the most enriching learning experiences that one can have on this planet. Dr. Egstrom has been an elected Fellow in the American College of Sports Medicine since 1962, a member of the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society since 1970, a member of the American Academy of Underwater Sciences since 1980 and a NOGI member of The Academy of Underwater Arts and Sciences since 1969. He has received over 20 awards from National and International diving organizations for his work in diving education and safety. Since 1991 he has been Professor Emeritus in the Physiological Sciences Department at UCLA and still maintains office and laboratory space on the campus. He continues to serve on the UCLA Diving Safety Control Board for the scientific diving program. When possible, he goes to campus and swims 2500 meters with mask, fins and snorkel 4-5 times a week in the 50 meter outdoor pool. A great believer in the benefits of the increased partial pressure of Oxygen, he feels that regular swimming, along with the opportunities to enjoy the benefits of hyperbaric therapy in the form of scuba diving, has enabled him to keep senility at bay in a minefield of stress producing activities. Dr. Egstrom is a founding director for the Our World Underwater Scholarship Society and has been actively involved in the selection and nurturing of the OWU Scholars since 1972. This activity has brought over 50 young people into a family of scholars that are actively focused upon the preservation of our underwater world. It is a most rewarding life experience to meet and enjoy the company of this group of extraordinarily qualified young people as well as the members of the Society that supports the scholars year long odyssey. An annual regret upon selection of the Scholar is that he cannot step into the scholar's shoes for the year. With a little good luck and continued good health he hopes to continue the adventure and the pursuit of the higher partial pressure of Oxygen.

Glen is still an avid diver who continues to enjoy underwater adventures in warm clear water in prime dive locations wherever they can be found. His love of diving has resulted in over 10,000 hours of enjoyment while working and playing underwater since 1954. His fondness for underwater hunting has largely, but not completely, been replaced by the challenge of underwater videography that has led him to many of the most beautiful underwater dive sites in the world. Should he ever find himself unable to dive, it will be time to edit the hundreds of hours of ½", 8mm, hi8, and digital video images that have accumulated next to his basically underused, but sophisticated, editing equipment. His good health and a mind that makes appointments with a high regard for enjoying the moment creates a conflict with things that can wait till later. His good fortune has led him into participation in a wide range of diving activities including weightless simulation studies in early space suits, underwater studies at Eniwetok Atoll, diving under the ice in the Antarctic as well as the frigid waters off Alaska, Shark studies in Rangiroa, underwater work projects on Sea Lab III, underwater behavioral studies for the Naval Medical Research Institute Behavioral Sciences laboratory for 13 years, underwater work studies on the Aegir project in Hawaii, development and evaluation projects involving the Mark V and Mark XII USN diving systems, underwater work tolerance studies for the Office of Naval research, 6 years, served as a reserve search and rescue diver with Emergency Services Detail of the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department in the Marine Company 218, retired as Captain after 30 years of service. He has also been active as an expert witness involved in hundreds of aquatic accidents since 1957. Among his favorite activities has been service as a faculty member on 52 Diving Medicine courses for the continuing education of diving physicians worldwide. These courses have enabled him to study and dive with physicians from an entire range of medical specialties from all parts of the world. He feels that this involvement has provided an unusually stimulating post doctoral educational experience. A recurring thought that he has been able to live like a millionaire without the aggravation of making the money, has enriched his life. A more complete CV is available online.

:: Glen H. Egstrom, Ph.D. - Distinguished Service - 1969Science - 1981

:: Glen H. Egstrom, Ph.D. - Distinguished Service - 1969
Science - 1981