On April 30, Tom Allard, a member of the city of Manhattan Beach’s Parks and Recreation Commission and 45-year-resident of the city, passed away at the age of 70.
Allard died of acute respiratory distress syndrome, according to his wife Sue Allard.
The City Council adjourned its May 3 meeting in his memory.
“He was one of those guys who was bigger than life,” said his wife. “He touched a lot of people in this community.”
After retiring from owning his used bookstore, Eclectic Collector, in Hermosa Beach almost a decade ago, he devoted himself to getting seniors involved with recreational activities, including ping pong, horseshoes and petanque.
“Tom was a champion of our city’s older adults program and spent countless hours volunteering his time for older adults’ events, recreation activities and programs,” said Councilmember Wayne Powell, who nominated Allard for the Parks and Recreation Commission.
Allard was also an advocate for building a skate park, which the city council recently approved after years of delays.
“One thing he taught me and my sister was once you start something, you never quit,” said his son Mike Allard, who is an officer in the Manhattan Beach Police Department. “You go 100 percent. He proved it with the skate park.”
In March, Tom Allard was recognized as a Champion of the Community by the California Park and Recreation Society.
Allard’s passion for keeping older adults active grew out of his desire to do the same for kids, Mike said.
“He always thought it was important that kids had something to do, that they were involved with some form of activity,” he said. “When he retired, he became more involved with the seniors. He believed that as you get older, you need to keep active as well.”
Allard coached Little League and soccer and served as the Mira Costa High School Baseball Booster Club president.
After growing up in Santa Monica, Allard served with the Army in Vietnam. He was a big sports fan, especially of the Dodgers and other Los Angeles teams, his son said.
“I remember in middle school or high school, we stayed up past my bedtime and watched the LA Kings play the first time they competed for the Stanley Cup,” he said.
A celebration of life is planned for May 21 from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Allards’ home. Those who are interested in attending can email Sue at sallard@roadrunner.com. ER
