Robert A. Pestolesi '53
Robert A. Pestolesi began his professional career as Assistant Superintendent of Recreation for the city of Santa Ana, California in 1952. From this position, Pestolesi served two years in the public schools, teaching mathematics, social studies and physical education as well as coaching football, track and field and gymnastics. In 1955 he began his collegiate teaching, coaching and administrative career at California State University, Long Beach where he remained as a professor until 1978.
During his tenure at Long Beach State, Pestolesi taught a variety of sport and fitness classes, professional courses in elementary physical education, secondary methods, coaching football, individual sports, recreation and administration of physical education and athletics. He also coached football, tennis, and golf and served as intramural director, athletic administrator and was chair of the department of men’s physical education from 1966 to 1978. During 1978, Pestolesi transferred to California State University-Dominguez Hills. There he served as chair of the department of physical education and recreation and director of athletics until he retired from the state university system in 1983. From 1983 to 1988 dr. Pestolesi served as an adjunct professor at the university of southern California, teaching courses in administration and directing the sports administration graduate degree program.
Pestolesi is known as a creative administrator with a balanced philosophy that supports all areas of health, physical education, sports, recreation, and dance.
Some of the programs developed under his guidance at long beach state and Dominguez Hills were;
1. Community physical fitness program
2. Sensory-motor institute
3. A coaching minor
4. An athletic training certificate
5. A dance minor
6. A teaching emphasis master’s degree
Active at all professional levels, Pestolesi has served as faculty advisor to student sport and fitness organization units at long beach state and USC. He has been conference manager for state conventions and a director of national physical fitness workshop. He has been the chair of professional preparation, vice president for physical education, exhibits chair, state golf coordinator for the national sports association and president of the California state association of health, physical education, recreation, and dance. He also served as a member of the committee to revise the California state framework for physical education.
At the southwest district level, Pestolesi has served as the chair of physical educaton, chair of professional education, budget committee chair, district representative and president.
A member of the American alliance for health, physical education, recreation and dance since an undergraduate, Pestolesi has served as chair of the national membership survey committee, presidential nominating committee member, conference manager for the university basic instruction program, arapcs review committee member, ethics committee member, finance committee member for a five year term and chair of this committee for two years. He served as the national alliance president during 1987-1988, these responsibilities allowed him to serve on the national board of governors for ten years.
Pestolesi received the aahperd southwest district honor award in 1978, the California state honor award in 1981 and the national honor award in 1990.
He has co-authored textbooks in the areas of golf, elementary physical education, introduction to the physical education profession, creative administration in physical education and athletics and a children’s physical fitness management system.
He served as a consultant to the president’s council on physical fitness and sports, to the national fitness foundation and to the walt disney company on a series of school fitness films.
Pestolesi received his B.S. from the University of Southern California in 1950 and completed his M.A. at California State University-Long Beach in 1953. He earned his PhD in Higher Education Administration at the University of Southern California in 1968. He was a member of sigma alpha epsilon fraternity since 1948. Dr. Pestolesi retired in 1988 after serving 38 years in the area of sports and physical education.
He has been married to his wife Marilyn for 62 years. The Ppestolesi family consists of six children, 15 grand children and two great grand children.
Honors and speeches
Who’s who in the west, 1975
Community leaders of america, 1972
Outstanding educators of america, 1971 and 1974
Phi epsilon kapa, beta alpha chapter service award, 1961
Presentations
Aahperd
National meetings: twenty conference presentations
Southwest district: eleven conference presentations
California district: ten conference presentations
General sessions speaker
Bay district cahperd, 1982
Hawaii aahperd, 1983
Illinois aahperd, 1986
Alaska aahperd, 1987
North dakota, aahperd, 1988
