Hall of Fame
Elden Fast, a native of Ferndale, Washington, is one of the pioneers in Fresno Pacific athletic history. He enrolled at Pacific College of Fresno in the fall of 1960 and played two seasons of basketball while completing an associate of arts degree.
He returned to Ferndale to work for two years then, after marrying Sharon Warkentin in 1963, resumed studies in Fresno in the fall of 1964. He was an outstanding athlete as evidenced by his selection to the Northern California Christian College Conference team in 1962 when he averaged 22.0 points and 12.3 rebounds per game. He was also honored as the team’s most valuable player in 1965. He completed a bachelor’s degree with a major in social science in 1966, then entered Volunteer Christian Service.
In 1969, upon completion of his three-year term at Youthville, a home for troubled boys in Newton, Kansas, he returned to in his hometown of Fernadale and embarked on a career as a juvenile parole officer. He found time to direct the choir at the Birch Bay Mennonite Brethren Church until a promotion took him and his family to Everett. There he was both choir director and moderator at the Shoreline Mennonite Brethren Church, as well as a member of The Gideons.
In December 1978, while playing in a recreational basketball league game, he suffered a seizure, which in turn led to the discovery of a brain tumor. He died on June 5, 1983. During his short life, he was a devoted husband and father and modeled the finest Christian character in service to others in the community and the Church.
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