Van Asten worked at USF for over 20 years starting at the Sarasota-Manatee campus before making his way to St. Petersburg in 2003.
Courtesy of USF.
By Aubrey Carr
After over 20 years working at the University of South Florida, the St. Petersburg community said goodbye to Safety and Compliance Officer Guy Van Asten after his death of natural causes on Oct. 29.
Starting out as a facilities worker on the Sarasota-Manatee campus in 2001, Van Asten made his way to the St. Petersburg campus in 2003 where he worked as the maintenance supervisor until his eventual role in the safety and compliance department.
Here, Van Asten conducted student and faculty trainings, drills and ensured the safety of all on-campus events.
Before coming to USF, Van Asten served in the United States Coast Guard for 21 years, working as a Chief Warrant Officer before his retirement.
Beloved by the campus, USF St. Petersburg hosted a tribute to Van Asten’s long life of service on Nov. 7, with speeches from faculty, staff and his family.
“What a life Guy had,” USF St. Petersburg Chancellor Christian Hardigree said. “What a generous, kind, spirit and soul, who cared immensely about everybody that he encountered. Everybody on this campus –– students, our staff, our faculty our community, his family.”
Hardigree went on to share her playful relationship with Van Asten, mentioning him teasingly reminding her to wear her seatbelt while driving her golfcart. “I shall wear my seat belt moving forward in memory of him because it brings a smile to my face,” she said.
USF St. Petersburg Dean of Students Jacob Diaz tearfully shared his experience with Van Asten, calling him not only a coworker, but a friend.
“Guy was loyal. He was committed to the University of South Florida and to his colleagues and friends. He was the epitome of what it means to show up when needed,” Diaz said.
“Magically he would just show up. He spent many-a-nights in our emergency operations center on the ride-out team for hurricanes. He also was quite a construction expert and would generously spend time with me and my family helping me to do some home projects, that, to be honest, I didn’t know how to do.”
Following words from administrative staff, the office of Veteran Success performed a “Coast Guard Farewell,” a small ceremony ending in the phrase, “Chief Warrant Officer Van Asten departed, fair winds and following seas.”
To end the ceremony, Van Asten’s two sons, Brian and Joe, shared memories of their late father.
Joe spoke of childhood stories of Coast Guard ships, his father’s love for his family and his passion for serving others.
“I asked [dad] once why he joined the Coast Guard. He said that, like a lot of other people, he wanted to join the military because he wanted to explore the world. But he chose the Coast Guard because he said he wanted to help people. And he felt like the Coast Guard offered him the best opportunity to make a direct impact on people. That was the common denominator between dad’s Coast Guard career and his career [at USF], public service,” Joe said.
Brian shared the importance of USF to not only his father, but to his entire family.
“The countless number of people that dad’s life impacted was more than I ever imagined,” Brian said. “Just like so many people before me this morning. He is a thread that’s woven into the fabric of this university. He is and always will be USF,” Brian said.
“This is where we feel dad the most, so USF, for good or for bad, you’re stuck with us,” Brian said.
In lieu of flowers, Van Asten’s family have asked for memorial donations to be made in his honor to the USF St. Petersburg Veterans Services Support Fund.
