ISHOF Construction Update

March 31, 2020

Well, we hope that most of you are staying at home and being safe, but evidently the construction crews in South Florida are playing it safe out in the fresh air and are keeping their distance from one another. So, the construction continues at the complex, at least for now. (And just so we are clear, this is not our decision, or the City of Fort Lauderdale's, but the construction company’s decision).

Olympic gold medalist and ISHOF Honoree Bruce Furniss suffered a severe heart attack Monday, 3/30/2020 according to his family.  His family has set up an account via Caring Bridge to offer updates on his condition and share support with loved ones.

This update was posted by Bruce Furniss’s family on April 9:

Good News – Our prayers have been answered

We just heard from Sharon [Bruce’s wife] that Bruce is coming home today!  It has been another rapid recovery in this roller-coaster experience.  Sharon reported this morning she received a call from Bruce this morning: “Sharon, if they and you don’t discharge me, I will sign myself out.”  Bruce said he is much better: no longer in pain and his breathing is much better.  He even got himself out of bed this morning.

Sharon conferred with the doctors who said Bruce was “good to go”.  Our husband, father, brother, uncle, cousin and friend is coming home!  I give thanks to God.

Ironically it was a judge who overrode the time-keepers to deny Sydney boy John Davies of an Olympic bronze medal in the 200m breaststroke at the 1948 Games in London.

Davies first won a NSW swimming championship in 1946 at the old Manly Baths – destroyed by the storms of 1974 – and was discovered and mentored by the legendary coach Forbes Carlile after winning the Australian Championship in Adelaide in 1947.

Davies was part of the original “guinea pigs” of Australia’s genius sports scientist Professor Frank Cotton, under Carlile’s swimming spell.

Between them the combination of Carlile and Cotton weaved their magic to produce Australia’s first Olympic swimming gold medallist since Clare Dennis in Los Angeles in 1932, when Davies came back from London to win the gold at the 1952 Helsinki Games.

The International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) Induction Weekend has been postponed to the fall of this year (2020) due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. We are still working on a final date pending the availability of honorees, award winners, and successful negotiations with our sponsors.  At this point, our Masters of Ceremonies – Rowdy Gaines and Debbie Meyer – have reaffirmed their intent to remain co-emcees for the event.