Arnold Eddy; Had Lengthy, Varied Career at USC

Arnold Eddy, whose various affiliations with USC encompassed most of his life, died of cancer, it was learned Monday.

His son, James, said that his father died at his Los Angeles home. He was 88 and the cause of his death last Friday had not been reported in an obituary printed Sunday.

A native of California, Eddy boasted that he never really had to look for a job after graduating from USC in 1924.

Over the years he was executive director of the General Alumni Assn., graduate manager, ice hockey coach, business manager of athletics, and athletic director during the war years of 1941-44.

Although he at first did not know how to skate, Eddy fielded winning hockey teams from 1927 through 1944.

James Eddy said his father managed that feat by recruiting talented players from Canada and pitting them against less experienced talent. Eventually, Arnold Eddy did learn to skate well enough to practice with his teams.

His civic affiliations extended beyond the Trojan campus. He was manager of the Los Angeles Coliseum for the 1932 Olympics and created the seating plan that exists today.

Eddy also served for many years on the Coliseum Commission and was at the forefront of the unsuccessful efforts to land the 1976 Olympic Games. He founded several alumni support groups at USC, aided in the establishment of the David X. Marks Foundation, which funds more than 50 athletic scholarships annually, and founded the Catalina Island Boys and Girls Camps.

Besides his son, he is survived by his wife, Clara, a daughter, Beryl, six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Contributions in his name are asked to be made to the Howard Jones Memorial Fund, USC, Office of Development, Alumni and Public Affairs, Los Angeles, CA 90089.