With Olympic fervor in the air, East Hills Mayor Michael Koblenz was quick to spot another swimming star. He turned to longtime resident, friend, and athlete in East Hills, Len Pugatch to offer him the post of lifeguard at the Park at East Hills. With college-age students returning to their schools, this was a perfect match. Len, an established attorney in Nassau County who will turn 57 in August, will now perform the duties of lifeguard for the last few weeks of the season. Only one year younger than Mark Spitz, Len will celebrate his birthday at the end of this month on the stand - just not the witness stand he is usually familiar with.

"The decision was an easy one for me," said Mayor Koblenz, a fellow member of the Bar. "I had four criteria. First, he pass the required tests with the highest grades; second, he take a short leave from his firm for the stint; third, he waived his hourly fee of several hundred dollars per hour; and fourth, that he have all his life insurance in place for Marjorie."

Len Pugatch's tenure will now be recorded in the annuls of the village as the oldest lifeguard to ever hold the post.

Throughout the summer, Pugatch, an avid - and ever youthful lap swimmer - gave up time at his law practice and even his retainers to take the required 40-hour Red Cross Lifeguard/CPR/AED course, and then the Nassau County Lifeguard Certification. He passed both with flying colors. "When I arrived at the Red Cross course, they thought I was the instructor, or maybe even the instructor emeritus. I quickly earned the affectionate title of "gramps" around the pool. It was all in good humor. I never ever considered launching a slander action," he responded with a smile.

Len's wife, Marjorie, who works full time as a legal nurse consultant, became an EMT. Hopefully, she won't have to do overtime now. His son, Sam, who works full time in the insurance business, will complete an MBA in December, and his daughter, Jillian, who interns at the National Institutes of Health, became certified as a Pilates instructor.

Many residents recall that Len was regularly at the pool each day, working out and staying in shape. Pugatch grew up in East Hills and then moved back some 20 years ago. In fact, his first lifeguard job was over the summer of 1971 at the now-closed Country Estates Pool.

In making the appointment Mayor Koblenz noted that "whether through the children's basketball programs, the Little League or even men's softball, Len Pugatch has always contributed to our village and been a standout in sports. Now, no doubt, he will even stand out a little more."