Paul Gillespie

Lifetime Public Service Award

Paul Gillespie has touched thousands of lives as an educator, coach and lifeguard for five decades. As the current Chief of Lifeguards in Long Beach, he is currently responsible for 170 lifeguards and the thousands of people that visit our beach every summer. The summer of 2019 marked a combined 50 years Mr. Gillespie has worked as a lifeguard in Long Beach and the Town of Hempstead. Mr. Gillespie has served as Lieutenant, Captain and Beach Supervisor, in both the City of Long Beach and Town of Hempstead.

As Chief, Gillespie is instrumental in ensuring the lifeguards receive excellent training, and that EMTs are spread throughout the beach for quick response time to medical emergencies. His primary concern is always the safety of swimmers and the lifeguards in his patrol.

Mr. Gillespie has also achieved great success as an athlete and coach. As a student at Baldwin High School, Mr. Gillespie was named Outstanding Athlete in 1969. He went on to Westchester State University where he was a 2x Division I All American in 1971 & 1974, and ultimately awarded a USA National Champion in 1975. He has coached football, boys’ and girls’ soccer, track and field, lacrosse and swimming. Mr. Gillespie, though, is recognized throughout the wrestling world as one of the most elite wrestling coaches in the state.

From 1974-2004, Mr. Gillespie taught Health and Physical Education in the Long Beach school district. As the wrestling coach, he won the New York State title in 1982 and 1987. His teams won a total of 17 Nassau County Championships and 17 Conference titles, earning Mr. Gillespie the Nassau County Wrestling Coach of the Year five times.

Following his tenure at Long Beach, Mr. Gillespie became the wrestling coach at Oceanside High School, and led his teams to a conference championship. In 2005, he took his talents to Wantagh High School, serving as an assistant coach of wrestling until 2007. Since becoming the head coach at Wantagh High School, Paul has led 15 wrestlers to Nassau County championship status, and three to the New York State Championships. His teams have won 10 Nassau County Titles, six Tournament Championships, and four Dual Meet Championships and has twice been named Newsday’s Long Island Wrestling Coach of the Year.

Paul Gillespie was inducted into the New York State Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame in 2005. The following year, he was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. In 2018, Paul was inducted into the Nassau County High School Athletics Hall of Fame.

Paul is married to Jannine Laskas Gillespie for 34 years and they have three children, Paul Jr., Annalee and Virginia.