Buck Dawson Authors Award

The Award is presented to the author of an aquatics- related book for which the book’s content has had a profound educational or entertaining impact on the aquatic disciplines or population in general.

Buck Dawson is the Founding Executive Director of the International Swimming Hall of Fame and established the first book store for swimming located at the ISHOF. He is the author of eight books with subjects ranging from swimming to war to volcanoes. His books include: Saga of the All-American – The 82nd Airborne in World War II, A Civil War Artist at the Front, When the Earth Explodes, Michigan Ensian, All About Dryland Exercises for Swimmers, Weissmuller to Spitz – An Era to Remember, Gold Medal Pools, We Don’t Sew Beads on Belts – A History of Camps Chikopi and Ak-o-Mak.

Ian Hugh McAllister (GBR)

2024

 Lost Olympics, The Hilda James Story

2024 Buck Dawson Author Award: Lost Olympics, The Hilda James Story In the mid-1966, five-year-old Ian McAllister was learning to swim at the saltwater Guinea Gap baths in Wallasey, across the River Mersey from Liverpool, England. His grandmother Hilda sometimes got in and added practice and fun time at the end of a lesson, showing him trick strokes and funny dives. One of the pool attendants commented on her skills.

“I swam for the Cunard Club here over forty years ago. In fact, I broke three world records, right here in this pool.”

Ian pestered his Nana about her history, but she was always reluctant to talk much about it. Fast forward to 1973. Ian’s Grandpa Hugh died, leaving Hilda alone in a small house a few miles away from Wallasey. Ian used to spend weekends with her, and it was there that the stories started to come out. The glory days of the 1920 Olympics and a silver medal, world records, travelling on Cunard to New York for an invitation swimming tour, a friendship with Johnny Weissmuller. She started giving him her treasures to look after. At the age of twelve, and already a keen writer, he became her biographer.

There were more difficult memories to capture; Hilda’s hard upbringing in poor Liverpool, a family tragedy, and Victorian parents who resisted her fame and denied her opportunities. And there was worse to come from her parents, jealous of her growing success and fame. Hilda suffered real cruelty, both psychologically and, in the end, physically.

2024 marks the centenary of the first Paris Olympics. Sometimes ahead of her American rivals in the timings Hilda had high hopes of claiming two, possibly three gold medals. 2024 also marks the centenary of the event that robbed her of the chance to compete in Paris, and for which Ian’s book is named, “Lost Olympics.” Maybe “Stolen Olympics” might have been more accurate.

She finally broke away in 1925 and embraced opportunity in her own way, aided by several people who had quietly watched over her, and waited for the chance to help. Cunard had a long-standing offer of a job, so she finally took it, in the end literally running away to sea. At the request of Deputy Charman Sir Percy Bates, she worked to develop the role of Cruise Entertainment Director aboard his new world cruise liner Carinthia.

She also met Ian’s grandfather Hugh on the ships. He was a noted wireless officer, and one of the press-ganged crew who sailed the Queen Elizabeth to New York in secret in 1940, to escape the threat of German bombing. Hugh received an award for designing “Lizzie’s” wireless system. Hilda was in no way a romantic, but she did say of Hugh’s rare, pale grey eyes:

“Once Mr. McAllister looked at you with those eyes, you stayed looked at!”

It wasn’t until after Hilda’s death in 1982 that Ian realised the rest of the story needed to be captured and preserved. It took thirty years, with several attempts to complete. In the age of snail mail and written records, he researched as much as possible, interrogating relatives and some of Hilda’s contemporaries, but gradually the trail went cold. A shift-working career in the UK’s en-route air traffic control system, and a growing family, provided less opportunity for study. Things gradually calmed down, and the age of the internet suddenly allowed new connections.

The final push came during a cruise on Cunard in 2011. Ian took a few memorabilia items along in case the crew may be interested. Sent to see the Queen Victoria’s Chief Engineer, himself a historian, he received strict orders:

“For heaven’s sake write the book. Otherwise, I’ll come and find you and there’ll be trouble!” 

After early retirement at 54, Ian started a new venture, and now writes science fiction. Still an aviation geek, he spends as much time as possible at airports around the world studying airliners. He helps edit a major airliner yearbook and leads a 17,000 strong writing community on Facebook (10 Minute Novelists) Married to childhood sweetheart Simone for 42 years, they have a son, Stuart, who is 30, and a miniature dachshund. Ian is also mad keen on his 1986 Mercedes roadster (think Bobby Ewing)

Elaine Howley

2023

Elaine Howley is an award-winning freelance journalist and editor 

Elaine K. Howley – 2023 Buck Dawson Author’s Award 

Elaine Howley is an award-winning freelance journalist and editor based in Boston, Massachusetts. A southern New Jersey native, Howley holds a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and a Master’s degree in Publishing and Writing from Emerson College in Boston.  Howley, a lifelong swimmer herself, previously served as Publications Manager for United States Masters Swimming and Managing Editor of SWIMMER Magazine.

Most recently, Howley, co-authored A Life Aloft with ISHOF Honoree and 1964 Olympic bronze medalist, Thomas Gompf. A Life Aloft is Gompf’s life story flying missions in the Vietnam War to becoming a commercial airplane pilot, from starting his career in diving, becoming an Olympic bronze medalist to sitting on the highest levels of the FINA Organizing Committees and everything in between.

Elaine is a successful aquatic athlete in her own right.  Beyond her personal triumphs, she is deeply involved in promoting and organizing marathon swimming events. She holds a significant role in the Massachusetts Open Water Swimming Association (MOWSA), the governing body responsible for the Boston Light Swim and the Jim Doty Memorial Mile. Taking the helm as MOWSA’s President in 2021, Elaine had exciting plans to expand the scope of solo swims as well as re-introducing a group swim that dates back to a historic event dormant since 1975, known as “The Egg Rock Scramble.”.

In addition to recently co-authoring Gompf’s book, and serving as Publications Manager for United States Masters Swimming and Managing Editor of SWIMMER MagazineHowley has been a columnist for Outdoor Swimmer magazine since around 2009, sharing her insights on historical swimming topics through her column called “Splashback.” In 2017, she expanded her repertoire with more in-depth features. She recalls her initial proposal, which aimed to explore the rich history of open water and marathon swimming.

Elaine’s own marathon swimming journey began in 2006 with an event she is now the director of, the Boston Light Swim. One of her greatest achievements came in 2009 when she completed the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming:  the English Channel, the Catalina Channel, and the Swim Around Manhattan Island. In addition to the Triple Crown, in 2016, she completed The Triple Crown of Lake Monster Swims in 2016, taking on the lengths of Lake Memphremagog, Loch Ness, and Lake Tahoe. Elaine admits her fascination with lake monsters was a driving force behind her decision to tackle these unique swims.   

Together with Tom Gompf, Elaine K. Howley, is the 2023 Recipient of the Buck Dawson Author’s Award.  

About Buck Dawson: Dawson was a veteran of WWII who served as assistant and publicist for Generals Gavin and Ridgeway in the 82nd Airborne. From the time he was chosen to lead ISHOF in 1962, until his death in 2008, Buck traveled the world armed with Hall of Fame brochures, books, and bumper stickers. He was always spreading the word, and always willing to talk and teach swimming and swimming history to anyone who would listen. He wrote hundreds of articles and was the author of eight books, ranging in subjects from bathing beauties to war, but especially swimming.

 

Tom Gompf

2023

Tom Gompf decided to tell his life story, and nobody is a better storyteller than Tom Gompf.

Tom Gompf – 2023 Buck Dawson Author’s Award 

 

Several years ago, Tom Gompf decided to tell his life story, and nobody is a better storyteller than Tom Gompf.  Together with writer Elaine Howley, we now have that amazing story.

 Tom Gompf has loved diving since as far back as he can remember.  He started as a youngster in Ohio, advanced to the greatest heights that athletes only dream of, the Olympic Games, where he came away with a bronze medal for his country.  After his Olympic performance,  he competed in professional competitions, trampoline shows, water shows and continued to enjoy the sport.

 By the time he graduated from Ohio State University in 1961, diving for Hall of Fame Coach Mike Peppe, Tom had won the NCAA National Trampoline Championships and a year later, the U.S. National AAU Diving Championships,  on the 10-meter platform.

 In 1964 at the Tokyo Olympics, under the watchful eye of coach Dick Smith, Tom won the bronze medal on the 10m platform, only two points behind gold medalist Bob Webster (USA) and one point behind silver medalist Klaus Dibiasi (Italy), both Hall of Famers.  Tom went on to win National Championships in Spain and Japan and won first place in the 1970 and 1971 World Professional High Diving Championships, diving off the cliffs of Acapulco.  All this was while flying several hundred combat missions in Vietnam from 1965 to 1967, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Force Commendation Medal and the Air Medal with multiple silver clusters.

 From 1971 to 1982, he coached diving at the University of Miami, developing divers, winning six National Championships and competing on World, Pan American and Olympic teams.  Steve McFarland, Melissa Briley, Julie Capps, Greg Garlich and Greg Louganis, were among his team members.

But perhaps Tom’s greatest contribution came from behind the scenes as a leader in the sport. Universally acknowledged for his ability to work effectively and quietly to promote the sport.  Extremely intelligent, he can be very persuasive.  Since 1977, he has served on the United States Olympic Committee Board of Directors (1977-2004) and Executive Board, working to autonomize the four aquatic disciplines under the Amateur Sports Act of 1978. 

Gompf helped establish U.S. Diving, Inc. in 1980 and served as the only continuous board member.  He served four years as its president (1985-90) and from 1998 to 2002, served as president to the United States Aquatic Sports which represents all the aquatic sports and reports directly to FINA.

 On the international scene, Tom served in many positions through the years, including on the Executive Board of the Amateur Swimming Union of the Americas (ASUA). In 1984, he was elected to the FINA Technical Diving Committee and continued in that position over thirty years,  during which time he proposed and passed legislation to include 1-meter diving in the FINA World Championships (1986) and synchronized diving for world competitions, with its debut at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.  Gompf is also responsible for the renovation of  international judging, initiating a judges’ education program involving clinics and manuals.

 

He served as the Chairman of the FINA Diving Commission for the World Swimming Championships (1990-98) and as Chairman of the FINA Diving Commission for the Olympic Games (1992-2000). 

Gompf received the FINA silver and gold pins, served as the US Team Manager for the 1976 and 1984 Olympic Games, was Chairman eight years (1991-98) for the ISHOF Honoree Selection Committee and served four years (1986-90) on the ISHOF Board of Directors.  All the while, Tom was an airline captain for National Airlines (1967-80), Pan American (1980-1991) and Delta Airlines (1991-2000).  He has received the Mike Malone/Glen McCormick Award (1984) for outstanding contribution to US Diving, the Phil Boggs Award (1995), U.S. Diving’s highest award and the 1997 Paragon Award for competitive diving. Gompf was inducted into ISHOF in 2002 as an Honor Contributor and in 2010, the US Olympic Committee awarded him the George  M. Steinbrenner III Sport Leadership Award, which honors an outstanding member of the Olympic family.

Tom’s interests have always been for the good of the sport, not for any recognition for himself.  He has applied the same determination and passion that made him an Olympic medalist to the advancement and improving all aspects of diving on the international scene for the good of the sport and of the athletes.

Michael Loynd

2022

The Watermen: The Birth of American Swimming and One Young Man’s Fight to Capture Olympic Gold

Michael Loynd wasn’t looking to write a book when he took his wife and children to  Europe for a family vacation in 2013, but it was that vacation that would indirectly (and  serendipitously) lead him to the story of “The Watermen”. 

Sportswriters and historians are constantly on a quest to rediscover a hero or event, forgotten by time, whose story  could be immortalized in a book or on film. Once or twice in a decade, one of these stories captures the imagination  of the public and becomes a runaway best seller, like Laura Hildebrand’s “Unbroken”, Daniel Brown’s “Boys in the  Boat” or 2017 Buck Dawson Author Award Winner, Julie Checkoway’s “Three-year Swim Club.” Well, add “The  Watermen,” by Michael Loynd, to this illustrious list. By profession, Michael Loynd is neither a sportswriter, nor a  university-trained historian. What Michael Loynd is, is a lawyer, philanthropist, community board activist and a  big dreamer who tells an incredibly well-researched story in a wonderfully entertaining and enlightening manner  that will keep you turning the pages and wanting more. 

It was while passing through some small Swiss towns in the Alps, that had only hosted an Olympic event — not  necessarily the entire Olympic Games — that Mike Loynd noticed they all proudly displayed the Olympic rings,  and he wondered why his hometown of St. Louis, which had hosted the first American Olympics didn’t do the  same. So, when Loynd returned home, he teamed up with the St. Louis Sports Commission to lobby the I.O.C. for  the rights to the Rings and establish an Olympic Legacy program. Five years later, thanks largely to Mike Loynd,  the Rings returned to St. Louis, in 2018, 114 years after the city had hosted the III Olympiad in 1904. 

It was while researching his Olympic City Legacy Project that Loynd stumbled across the name of Charles M. Dan iels for the first time, and he was “stunned” that he had never heard of Daniels before then. Daniels had not only  won America’s first individual Olympic gold medals in swimming in St. Louis, in 1904, but his record of winning  eight Olympic medals (1904, 1906 & 1908) stood for more than six decades, until American Mark Spitz took his total  to nine in 1972. What Loynd found even more amazing was that there had never been a biography written about  Daniels, and the role he played in the early history of Olympic and American competitive swimming.  

Thanks to Michael Loynd and his European family vacation, we now have the story of The Watermen and Charles  Daniels, that can live on for generations to read.  

Michael Loynd earned a BA in Broadcast Journalism from Miami University of Ohio, and a JD from Washington  University in St. Louis, Missouri. He is chairman of the St. Louis Olympic Committee, a representative on the Inter national Olympic Committee’s World Union of Olympic Cities, a member of the International Society of Olympic  Historians, and a sports attorney and lecturer. He is the author of All Things Irish: A novel, and now, The Watermen:  The Birth of American Swimming and One Young Man’s Fight to Capture Olympic Gold, the story of ISHOF Honoree,  Charlie Daniels.

Jordan Whitney-Wei

2021

Katharine Whitney Curtis – Mother of Synchronized Swimming

Jordan Whitney-Wei was born in 1992 as the great-grandnephew of Katharine Whitney  Curtis, who is widely recognized as the originator of synchronized swimming.  

He enjoyed writing in school and presiding over his high school philosophy club, which he founded before  graduating in 2010. He published his first philosophy book in 2013, and a volume of poetry in 2014, instead of  immediately entering college.  

In 2015, he took a leave-of-absence from the College of Nursing at the Ohio State University to focus on his book  contract with McFarland Publishing for his Aunt Kate’s first biography, Katharine Whitney Curtis – Mother of  Synchronized Swimming

He conducted groundbreaking research at the Chicago History Museum, where he digitized, indexed and analyzed  over 2,000 pages of handwritten correspondence archived in the Katharine Whitney Curtis collection, before he  began writing in 2018.  

The final product was unboxed by Jordan, surrounded by his family, on January 4th of 2019, which also happened  to be Katharine Whitney Curtis’s birthday.  

Katharine Whitney Curtis, who was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1979, and Jordan’s  book, Katharine Whitney Curtis – Mother of Synchronized Swimming, was released in January 2020 at the  beginning of the COVID-19 global pandemic. It features not only Curtis’s critical contributions to the sport of  Artistic Swimming, but also chronicles her many wartime adventures overseas as a multifaceted 20th Century  woman. 

After Curtis first published her own book on synchronized swimming in 1936, and just after the sport was officially  recognized by the AAU in 1941, the attack on Pearl Harbor changed everybody’s plans, and Curtis quickly signed  up with the American Red Cross to serve overseas during WWII. 

After the start of quarantine and the political turmoil of 2020, Jordan took a page right out of Curtis’s book and  signed up for a degree in Political Science at The Ohio State University to get involved where he can be most useful. 

Jordan’s other family comes from Taiwan and Manchuria in mainland China, and he’s currently focusing his  studies on the intricate challenges of U.S.-China Relations, which has been widely described as “the most important  bilateral relationship of the 21st Century.” 

Like his great-great aunt, Jordan has always had a deeply abiding love for diplomacy and cultural exchange,  believing that “true nobility was never achieved by being better than other people, but by choosing to help other  people for the better—for strength to be shared, for beauty to inspire, and for love to bind everything that we build  in this world—until the end.” 

Indeed, Jordan concludes the final pages of his book with these words, saying, “True nobility was never meant to  be exceptional. True nobility was meant to be common.”

Carolyn Wood (USA)

2019

Tough Girl: An Olympian’s Journey

Carolyn Wood swam in her first Olympic Games at the tender age of 14. She traveled to Rome in 1960 as a young teenager and placed fourth in the world in the 100m freestyle, failed to finish in the 100m butterfly final, because she swallowed water, but took home gold with her USA teammates on the world and Olympic record setting 400m freestyle relay.

Wood set another world record in the 100m butterfly, the next year, in Blackpool, England at another international competition. She was a four-time High School All-American (1959-1962), and a seven-time individual state champion. In 1992, she was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame. Wood received her Bachelor of Arts, in English, from the University of Oregon, Phi Beta Kappa in 1976, a Master in Social Work from Portland State University, 1978, and a Master in Education, also from Portland State University, in 1979.

Now a retired English teacher, Wood spent more than 35 years encouraging students to write and recently took her own advice, although often she’d rather be practicing yoga, or outdoors tending her bees and garden, or hiking backroads and mountain trails. Ms. Wood’s work has appeared in Teachers as Writers and Elohi Gadugi Journal. In 2016, Carolyn Wood wrote her first book Tough Girl: An Olympian’s Journey. Tough Girl is a coming-of-age memoir of a young swimmer’s triumphs and heartbreaks on the path to winning Olympic gold at age 14. Some 50 years later, author Carolyn Wood embarks on a solo pilgrimage to walk the 500 miles of the Camino de Santiago in an attempt to reclaim her “inner tough girl” as she reflects on coming out as gay in the 1970s after marriage and motherhood, and the disillusionment and loss she experiences when her 30-year relationship suddenly ends.
“Tough Girl artfully weaves Wood’s life story around the tale of her long walk on the Camino de Santiago, an effort to tap into her tough girl resilience so she can begin to accept the end of her long marriage. The ups and downs of Carolyn’s childhood road to the Olympics as well as her journey on the Camino, will thrill and inspire readers.”
In 2018, Wood re-released the book as – Tough Girl: Lessons in Courage and Heart from Olympic Gold to the Camino de Santiago

Anthony Ervin (USA)

2018

Chasing Water: Elegy of An Olympian

Anthony Ervin is a four-time Olympic medalist, claiming the title of fastest person on the planet, both in 2000, as well as 16 years later by claiming the Olympic title in the 50m freestyle again at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

After winning the Olympic gold, two World Championships and seven NCAA titles, Anthony retired at the age of 22 in 2003. Ervin then spent several years traveling the world and exploring other interests, including his higher education, music, tattoos, teaching people all over the world about swimming, and tsunami flood relief. His vision is to use his experiences and his platform as a chance to give back and inspire people of all ages to live the life they love. His return to the swimming world quickly caught the attention of major media outlets, including “Sports Illustrated”, “Rolling Stone”, “The Guardian”, “The New York Times” and “CNN”.

In December 2011, in his first USA swim meet in seven years, he won gold at the Chesapeake Pro-Am and immediately put himself back in the U.S. top five. Anthony participated in the U.S. Olympic Trials and was selected to represent the USA once again at the London Olympic Games in the 50m freestyle event. Following the Olympics, Anthony swam to 16 medals on the World Cup circuit, nine of them being gold, and an American record in the 50m freestyle. In 2014, Ervin gained his U.S. National title in the 50m freestyle, snagging a silver medal at that year’s Pan Pacific Championships in Australia. His return at age 30, brings a renewed outlook of enjoying the journey and appreciating the moment.

Anthony’s memoir, Chasing Water: Elegy of An Olympian, was co-authored with Constantine Markides and released via Akashic in 2016.

Anthony’s story is especially unique in that his family tree represents a broad demographic of Jewish and African-American descent, truly embodying the diversity of our modern world. Over the years, Anthony has grown to embrace his place in the world as an opportunity to reach out and try to give back. He auctioned off his 2000 Olympic gold medal on eBay and donated the proceeds to tsunami relief in Southeast Asia.

At the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, Ervin “wrote” the most fitting afterward to his astonishing story by winning two gold medals, becoming the oldest swimmer (from any nation) to win a gold medal in an individual race, and in finishing first in the 50m freestyle once again earning the title of fastest human in the water.

Constantine Markides (USA)

2018

Chasing Water: Elegy of An Olympian

Constantine Markides is a NYC-based writer and former correspondent for the daily newspaper, Cyprus Mail, Constantine reported from over a dozen countries in four continents. In covering the 2006 Lebanon War, he worked with CNN’s Anderson Cooper and was featured on CNBC and NPR’s Marketplace. As a reporter, he contracted malaria in Kenya, got showered by leaflets from an exploding artillery shell in Beirut, and witnessed a Cypriot photographer break a limb off an ancient bonsai tree in Shanghai while trying to photograph the President of Cyprus.

A state high school champion swimmer, Constantine swam for Columbia University, from which he graduated cum laude in philosophy. He holds a Masters in English with thesis distinction from University College London, where he was a Chevening Scholar. As well as instructing and coaching at Imagine Swimming and the Manhattan Makos, swim training has also taken Markides to diverse destinations like the Seychelles, Israel, the Galapagos Islands, Taiwan, Australia and the Turks and Caicos.

Constantine met Anthony Ervin in 2009, in Brooklyn, New York, where they were both swim instructors for Imagine Swimming, which led them to their collaboration on the book.

Karlyn Pipes (USA)

2016

The Do-Over

Karlyn Pipes is an internationally known inspirational speaker and the author of The Do-Over, a memoir about her struggles and victories with addiction. Karlyn also owns and operates Aquatic Edge (www.aquaticedge.org) with the goal of teaching swimmers and triathletes how to swim faster with less effort by offering swim technique workshops worldwide, and private swim instruction and camps in Kona, Hawaii.

Tito Morales

2016

The Do-Over

Tito Morales is a contributor to the book, The Do-Over by Karlyn Pipes, who he is sharing this award with. Tito has been writing screenplays, essays, articles, novels and books for over three decades. He attended the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of California, Los Angeles, where he earned his Master of Fine Arts degree in Screenwriting.

Tito first met Karlyn Pipes, when he was writing a story for the now defunct, SWIM magazine. They immediately hit it off, Tito says, Morales says once he wrote the first few drafts, Pipes reviewed and clarified for details. “Our give and take formed a relay of sorts-collaborations are always about teamwork- and since it was ultimately Karlyn’s story we both understoof that it was her responsibility to swim the anchor leg. We are both proud of the finished product and we are hopeful that the Do-Over will inspire swimmers and non-swimmers alike for many, many years to come.”

Julie Checkoway

2016

The Three Year Swim Club

Julie Checkoway is an author and documentary filmmaker. Her most recent book, The Three Year Swim Club: The Untold Story of Maui’s Sugar Ditch Kids (Grand Central, 2015), is a New York Times bestseller, longlisted for the 2015 PEN/ESPN Literary Sports Writing award. The Three Year Swim Club tells the true story of a group of impoverished Japanes-American sugar plantation children on Maui who, under the guidance of Soichi Sakamoto, swam in the late 1930’s and 1940’s literally and figuratively upstream against the current of their circumstances to become national and international swimming champions, world record holders, and Olympians. It tells the story of Sakamoto’s improbable rise from a sixth-grade science teacher who could barely swim to one of the 20th century’s most innovative and successful swimming coaches.

Jeff Farrell

2015

My Olympic Story: Rome 1960

In the long history of American Olym-pic swimming glory,” wrote the legend-ary Olympic filmmaker, Bud Greens-pan, “there is one little known story that stands out above the rest for courage and the ability to endure.” That story belongs to Jeff Farrell, and it’s the story Jeff tells himself; for the first time, in his well-written debut book, My Olympic Story: Rome 1960. It is more than a telling of the events featured in Greens-pan’s documentary film, it is the story of an era in swimming that the pinnacle of mod-em competitive swimming stands upon. It is as much about the coaches, competitors and state of swimming in the 1950’s as it is about “six days” before the 1960 Olympic Trials and Olympic Games that made Jeff a national hero and icon of sportsmanship. It is a compelling story that’s an easy, fun and compelling read.

Sheila Taormina

2015

Swim Speed Strokes for Swimmers and Triathletes

Sheila Taormina has competed in four Olympic games and is the only woman in the world to have competed in three different sports on the Olympic stage swimming, triathlon, and modem pentathlon. She is a coach, motivational speaker and dynamo inside her 5’2″ body. She’s also a best-selling author, with Swim Speed Strokes for Swimmers and Triathletes being the third of her best-selling “Swim Speed” series. By combining crystal-clear photographs of some of the world’s best swimmers with an engaging, straightforward writing style, Sheila demystifies 212 the science behind power and speed in the water, the elements common to every stroke, and stroke techniques and enhances the learning process whether training with or without a coach.

Barb Rosenstock

2015

Ben Franklin’s Big Splash

The mostly true story of his first invention_ One of ISHOF’s most popular exhibits is on the history of hand paddles, which can be traced to a 1773 letter from ISHOF Hall of Fame; Benjamin Franklin, to an acquaintance in France, wherein Franklin Franklin describes what is believed to be his first invention at the age of 11. Before the world knew the famous Doctor Benjamin Franklin,” writes Barb Rosenstock, “his neighbors knew him as Ben, the sturdy, saucy, smelly son of a soap maker… who loved to swim.” Rosenstock sets just the right playful and rather silly tone with this biographical picture book. While having Ben swimming on almost every page, she includes plenty of details about the society in the 1700s and how it was different from our modem one. Using different fonts and repeating words, she also emphasizes the importance of trial and error in science and solving problems. She also ties in the fact that this is how science works and how scientists learn things, along with a healthy dose of dedication and resolve. The illustrations by S.D. Schindler are marvelous, cleverly covering up the more private parts of the naked swimming boy with splashes and waves. They have a light-hearted quality to them and also a visual lightness that makes the book even funnier as they swim across the page.

Tim Dahlberg / Mary Ederle Ward / Brenda Greene

2010

AMERICA’S GIRL – The Incredible Story of How Swimmer Gertrude Ederle Changed the Nation

In 1926 when women were confined to housekeeping, cooking, and homemaking, Gertrude Ederle did the unthinkable – she swam across the English Channel from France to England touching the pebble beach in darkness after 14 hours 39 minutes in icy water. Only four men had completed the swim since Mathew Webbs’ crossing in 1875 and Trudy’s time was one hour 45 minutes faster than any of them. Her English Channel feat so thrilled America and the world that two million people welcomed her home to New York City with a ticker-tape parade.

America’s Girl is an intimate look at the life and trials of this remarkable woman. This fascinating portrait follows Ederle from her early days as a competitive swimmer through her gold-medal triumph at the 1924 Olympics and on to her first attempt the next year to swim from France to England in frigid and turbulent water.

This is also a stirring look at the go-go era of the 1920’s, when the country was about to recognize that women not only could vote but could compete in athletics on an international scale. At the height of Prohibition, Ederle’s triumph over the formidable Channel was a victory for women everywhere.

America’s Girl immerses readers in a pivotal period of American history and brings to life the spirit of that time.

“Gertrude Ederle was America’s girl, and her saga, as told so comprehensively and thoughtfully by Tim Dahlberg, is the story of all-America then-growing up in the great, swelling joy of the Roaring Twenties, then living through the horrible, despairing letdown of the Depression. It’s the particular tale of a swimmer and a pioneer female athlete, but its bittersweet resonances touch a whole era and its people.”

– Frank Deford, legendary writer for Sports Illustrated, author, and sports commentator

Robert E. Kerper, Jr. (USA)

2009

SPLASH! AQUATIC SHOWS FROM A TO Z Their art, planning and production plus aquatic history and trivia

Bob Kerper’s book, Splash! Aquatic Shows from A to Z is a treasured reference book for producers of aquatic shows, patrons of aquatic shows and swimming buffs in general. It is an overview of many of the major aquatic shows produced in the United States as well as a few shows overseas. He has taken ideas and concepts from most of the experts in the field based on their actual experiences as coaches, teachers and performers and placed them into one, easy-to-read source. For those interested in not only knowing what goes on behind the scenes of aquatic shows and exhibitions, but also how to produce these shows, this book provides useful information and tips from a host of knowledgeable and experienced people.

As a youngster, Kerper’s earliest recollection being on the pool deck, was to watch others perform. Whether it was laughing at divers doing some “crazy dives” from the boards or being engulfed in a professionally-cast water show, comedy and entertainment at poolside always brought a sense of fun, relaxation, laughter and total amazement. His interest in water shows spiraled when he attended the 1939 World’s Fair Billy Rose Aquacade in Flushing Meadow, New York, starring heroes JohnnyWeissmuller and Eleanor Holm. Two years later, he was producing his own water shows at the local pool in Reading, Pennsylvania. It was John Spannuth, his next-door neighbor for 30 years and childhood friend in West Reading, Pennsylvania, who encouraged Bob to organize and publish his thoughts in a written text. Splash contains three parts: Part One – a review of major professional and amateur water shows including those at high schools, colleges, YMCA’s, etc.; Part Two – a look at how to produce water shows with little experience; and Part Three – chapters on history, swimming around the world, military aquatics, aquatic personalities, etc.

Kerper is a two-time Pennsylvania State High School backstroke champion in 1941 and 1942, a national prep school champion at Mercersburg Academy in 1943 and a two-time MiddleAtlantic States Collegiate champion in the backstroke and individual medley at West Chester University. He is a 1985 “Distinguished Alumni” of West Chester University. As a U.S. Navy physical training instructor in World War II, Bob taught thousands of new recruits to swim and survive in the water. He worked with the American Red Cross and YMCA as instructor/trainer and coached swimming and taught classes at his alma mater, The Mercersburg Academy.

During the 1950’s he developed a series of water shows on the Schuylkill River and called them “The Rivercade”, for which he was named one of four “Outstanding Young Men” in Pennsylvania in 1955. He was a pioneer in the use of SCUBA in eastern Pennsylvania. He has been active in the YMCA for over 65 years and was a member of the National YMCABoard of Directors for six years. He was also founder and general manager of Reading’s largest summertime event, “Scenic River Days”, for eight years, presenting shows attracting up to 100,000 people in a five-day period.

Ernest W. Maglischo (USA)

2008

Swimming Fastest

Until the late 1960’s, when ISHOF’s founding President, James E. “Doc” Counsilman, published The

Science of Swimming, attempts to describe the stroke mechanics of competitive swimmers were

empirical in nature. “Doc” and later, Charles E. Silvia, (who followed Counsilman as ISHOF’s President),

were the first to apply scientific principles to the theories of hydrodynamic propulsion to swimmers —

and swimmers got faster.

In 1983, Ernest Maglischo, a nationally recognized coach-scientist at Chico State (California), built upon

the work of Counsilman and Silvia with the publication of his first book, Swimming Faster. At the time,

the great George Haines said, “There have been many swimming books written in recent years, but none

have so elegantly illustrated the connections between theory and practice.” Swimming Faster was to be

the first of a trilogy of what has become the most respected, most readable and comprehensive study published on swimming scientifically. In 1993, Dr. Maglischo expanded and updated his theories with Swimming Even Faster, and in

2003 he presented his 800-page magnum opus, Swimming Fastest.

In addition to the Swimming Faster series, Maglischo co-authored Swim for the Health of It (1985), with Cathy Brennan, and has authored or co-authored over 47 periodical publications including reports of original biomechanical and physiological research.

Ernest Maglischo coached swimming for 38 years, during which his teams won 13 NCAA national championships and 19 conference championships at the Division II level. He was named the NCAA’s Division II coach of the year an unprecedented eight times. His academic training includes a Ph.D. in Physical Education with an emphasis in Physiology of Exercise from Ohio State University, an M.S. degree from Bowling Green State University and a B.S.Ed degree from Ohio University.

The International Swimming Hall of Fame congratulates and commends Ernest Maglischo for providing the competitive

swimming community an outstanding resource.

Jeff Wiltse

2007

“Contested Waters: A History of Swimming Pools in America,” is a social, cultural, and institutional history of municipal swimming pools in the northern United States from the mid-nineteenth century to the present.

It received the 2003 Allan Nevins Prize of the Society of Americans Historians for the “best-written dissertation

on a major topic in American history.” Contested Waters offers a panorama of American life. It is, at once, a story of class and race

conflicts, burgeoning cities and suburbs, competing visions of social reform, eroticized public culture, democratized leisure, and Americans recent retreat from public life. It will be of interest to movie-goers who want to learn more about the issues raised by Pride, a new film that tells the story of Jim Ellis, an African American schoolteacher who founds a swim team in one of PhiladelphiaÍs roughest neighborhoods in the 1970s.

BUCK DAWSON AUTHORS OF THE YEAR AWARD

1965 to 2006

The Award is presented to the author of an aquatics- related book for which the book’s content has had a profound educational or entertaining impact on the aquatic disciplines or population in general

Buck Dawson is the Founding Executive Director of the International Swimming Hall of Fame and established the first book store for swimming located at the ISHOF. He is the author of eight books with subjects ranging from swimming to war to volcanoes. His books include: Saga of the All-American – The 82nd Airborne in World War II, A Civil War Artist at the Front, When the Earth Explodes, Michigan Ensian, All About Dryland Exercises for Swimmers, Weissmuller to Spitz – An Era to Remember, Gold Medal Pools, We Don’t Sew Beads on Belts – A History of Camps Chikopi and Ak-o-Mak.

With 2007 being the inaugural year of the award, an author has been selected to represent each one of the years from 1965 to 2006, the first 42 years of the ISHOF. Over the years, many authors have written very worthy books and should not go unrecognized.

A full book review is included for the 2007 Buck Dawson Authors Award Recipient. The first 42 authors and their books are listed below:

Theresa Anderson & Fern Yate
Synchronized Swimming, 1951, 1958.

David Armbruster
Competitive Swimming & Diving, 1942, 1950, 1958, 1963, 1968, 1973

William Bachrach
The Outline of Swimming, 1924

Keith Bell
Nuts and Bolts of Psychology for Swimmers, 1980, 1983, 1986

Winning Isn’t Normal, 1982

Target on Gold, 1983

Championship Sports Psychology, 1983

Coaching Excellence, 1989

You Only Feel Wet When You’re Out of the Water, 1991

What it Takes, the ABC’s of Excelling, 1994

The Parent’s Guide to Proper Psychological Care and Feeding of the Competitive    Swimmer, 2001

Swim To Win Playbook, 1998

Pat Besford
Swim Better, 1957

Encyclopedia of Swimming, 1971

Wilkie, 1976 (with Tommy Long)

James Cameron (GBR)
Aquatic Sports Medicine, 1991

Forbes Carlile
Forbes Carlile on Swimming, 1963

Robert Clayton & David Thomas
Professional Aquatic Management, 1981, 1989

Cecil Colwin
Cecil Colwin on Swimming, 1969

Swimming Into the 21st Century, 1992

Swimming Dynamics, 1998

Breakthrough Swimming, 2002

Dr. James Counsilman
The Science of Swimming, 1968

Competitive Swimming Manuel for Coaches & Swimmers, 1977

The Complete Book of Swimming, 1977

Thomas K. Cureton, Jr.
How to Teach Swimming & Diving, 1934

Fun in the Water – Aquatic Stunts, Contests, Games & Exhibitions, 1949

Frank Dalton
Swimming Scientifically Taught, 1912, 1918, 1927, 1931

Rosemary Dawson
Age Group Swimming, 1966

Diving for Teacher and Pupil, 1970

Penny Dean
Open Water Swimming, 1998

Howard Firby
Howard Firby on Swimming, 1975

Gerald Forsberg
Long Distance Swimming, 1957

First Strokes in Swimming, 1961

Modern Long Distance Swimming, 1963

Harry Gallagher
Harry Gallagher on Swimming, 1970

Sprint the Crawl, 1976

Memories of a Fox, 1998

Don Gambril
Swimming, 1969

Aquatic Swimming Session with Don Gambrill, 1984

Swimmer and Team, 1984

Dick Hannula
Coaching Swimming Successfully, 1995

Swim Coaching Bible, 2001 (with Nort Thornton)

John Hogg
Land Conditioning for Competitive Swimming, 1972

Success in Swimming, 1977

Mental Skills for Competitive Swimmers, 1995

Mental Skills for Swim Coaches, 1995

Virginia Hunt Newman
Teaching Young Children to Swim & Dive, 1969

Teaching an Infant to Swim, 1967, 1983

Bill Juba

    Swimming as Taught by Experts, 1961

Instruction to Young Swimmers, 1956, 1858, 1960

Jane Katz

     The Wet Work Out, 1985

All American Aquatic Handbook, 1996

The New W.E.T. Work Out, 1996

Swim 30 Laps in 30 Days, 1991

Water Fitness During Your Pregnancy, 1996

Swimming for Total Fitness, 1981, 1993

Robert Kiphuth

     Swimming, 1942

Basic Swimming, 1950

Laurie Lawrence

     Lawrence of Australia – Stories of Inspiration, 1993

Sink or Swim, 1989

Five Ring Fever, 2000

Sammy Lee

     Diving, 1978

Not Without Honor, 1987

Monica Lepore, G. William Gayle, Shawn Stevens

     Adapted Aquatics Programming, 1998

Joe MacInnis

     The Breadalbane Adventure, 1982

Breathing Underwater, 2004

The Underwater Man, 1974

Saving the Oceans, 1992

Titanic in a New Light, 1992

Fitzgerald’s Storm: The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, 1997

Ernest Maglischo

     Swimming Faster, 1982

Swimming Even Faster, 1993

Swim for the Health of It, 1985 (with Cathy Ferguson)

Swimming Fastest, 2003

Doris Miller

     Biomechanics of Competitive Diving, 2000

Phil Moriarty

     Springboard Diving, 1959

The Father  & Son Swimming Book, 1970

Splashed – The Writings of Phil Moriarty, 1998

Ron O’Brien

     Springboard Diving Fundamentals, 1968

Springboard and Platform Diving, 1992, 2003

Diving for Gold, 1992

Bela Rajki

    Teaching to Swim, Learning to Swim, 1978, 1980

The Technique of Competitive Swimming, 1956

Water Polo, 1958

Archibald Sinclair & William Henry

    Swimming, 1893

James R. Smith

    Playing and Coaching Water Polo, 1948

The World Encyclopedia of Water Polo, 1989

Charles Steedman

    Manual of Swimming, 1873

Bill Sweetenham

    Championship Swim Training, 2003 (with John Atkinson)

Don Talbot

    Swim to Win – For All Ages, 1967, 1969

Talbot – Nothing But the Best, 2003

Monsieur Thevenot

    The Art of Swimming, 1764

Ralph Thomas

    Swimming, 1904

Dr. Phil Whitten

    The Complete Book of Swimming, 1994

David Wilkie

     The Handbook of Swimming, 1986 (with Kelvin Juba)

Splash – Swimming with Wilkie, 1982 (with Kelvin Juba)

Winning with Wilkie, 1977 (with Athole Still)

HONORABLE MENTION

Istvan Barany (HUN)

    Teaching Children to Swim, 1961

Alex Baumann & Jeno Tihanyi

    Swimming with Alex Baumann, 1989

Dawn Bean

     An American History – Synchronized Swimming, 2005

Eva Bory (AUS)

     Teach your Child to Swim, 1971

Marianne Brems

     Swim for Fitness, 1979

Sherm Chavoor

     The 50 Meter Jungle – How Olympic Gold Swimmers Are Made, 1973

Steve Clark

     Competitive Swimming As I See It, 1967

Alan Clarkson

    Lanes of Gold – 100 years of the New South Wales Amateur Swimming Association, 1990

Richard Close

    Practical Swimming Officiating, 1970, 1971, 1972

Bob Clotworthy

    Diving, 1962

George Corson

    At Home in the Water, 1914

David Costill, Ernie Maglischo & Alan Richardson

    Swimming – A Handbook of Sports Medicine and Science, 1992

Lynn Cox

    Swim to Antarctica – Tales of  A Long Distance Swimmer, 2004

Grayson, 2006

Peter Cutino & Dennis Bledsoe

    Polo: The Manual for Coach and Player, 1976

Donna deVarona

    Donna deVarona’s Hydro-Aerobics, 1984

Kay Curtis

    Rhythmic Swimming – A Source Book of Synchronized Swimming & Water Pageantry, 1936

A Source Book of Water Pageantry, 1936

Dawn Fraser

     Below the surface- the Confession of an Olympic Champion, 1965

One Hell of a Life, 2001

Samuel J. Freas

     Aquatic Games, Water Fun at Pools, Spas Beaches & Lakes, 1995

Sprinting, 1998

David Fury

     Johnny Weissmuller – Twice the Hero, 2000

Milton Gabrielsen, Betty Spears & Bump Gabrielsen

     Aquatics Handbook, 1960

Jennifer Gray

     Coaching Synchronized Swimming – Figure Transitions, 1986, 1993

Shirley Gould

     Swimming the Shane Gould Way, 1972

Beulah Gundling

     Exploring Aquatic Art, 1963

Dancing in the Water, 1976

To Henry with Love, 1988

Creative Synchronized Swimming, 1988 (with Jill White)

David Haller

     David Haller: Swimming, 1977

L. deB. Handley

     Swimming and Watermanship, 1925

Charles Hines

     How to Play and Teach Water Polo, 1967

Jean Henning

     Six Days to Swim, 1970

Sports Odyssey, 1998

Margaret Jarvis

     Captain Webb – 100 years of Channel Swimming, 1975

Kelvin Juba

     All about Water Polo, 1972

Water Polo Info Books, 1978

Fit for Swimming, 1988

Annette Kellerman

     How to Swim, 1918

Ken Knox

     The Dawn of Swimming, 1962

Joanna M. Koury

     A Therapy Programming – Guidelines for Orthopedic Rehabilitation, 1996

Frederick Kroeher

     Public Swimming Pools – A Manuel of Operation, 1976

Fred Lanoue

     Drownproofing, 1963

Terry Laughlin

     Total Immersion, 1996 (with John Delves)

Swimming Made Easy

Carlton Lawford

     Swimming & Diving Officiating

Jean Landholm & Mary Jo Ruggieri

     Introduction to Synchronized Swimming, 1976

John Leonard

     Parent, Coach, Athlete – A Handbook for Age Group Swimming Parents, 1984

Science of Coaching Swimming, 1992

Rookie Swim Coaches Guide

Graham Lomas

    The Will to Win, 1960

Greg Louganis

     Breaking the Surface, 1995

Max Madders & A.S.A

     Swimming and Swimming Strokes, 1953, 1957

Matt Mann

     Swimming, 1945 (with Charles Fries)

Bobby McGregor

     The Bobby McGregor Story, 1970

Rob & Kathy McKay

     Learn to Swim, 2005

Lois Melena

     By a Fraction of a Second – A Female’s Lead Up to the Olympics

Diana Nyad

     Other Shores, 1978

Monte Nitzkowski

     United States Tactical Water Polo, 1994

Narda Onix

     Water, World and Weissmuller, 1964

Francois Oppenheim

      The History of Swimming, 1970

Mary Oppenheim

     Aquatic Aide – A Guide Book for Water Safety Instruction, 1982

D.H. Owen

     Swimming for Schools, 1968

Mervyn Palmer

     The Science of Teaching Swimming, 1979

Michael Phelps with Brian Cazenueve

     Brian Phelps – Beneath the Surface, 2004

Brent Rutemuller

      Below the Surface – How to Build a Club, 2005

Don Schollander

     Inside Swimming, 1974

Deep Swimming, 1971 (with Duke Savage)

Dick Smith

     Inside Diving, 1973

Deryk Snelling

     All About the Individual Medley, 1975

Mark Spitz with Alan LeMond

     The Mark Spitz Complete Book of Swimming, 1976

Bob Steele

     Swimming Drills,

Margaret Swan Forbes & USSS

    Coaching Synchronized Swimming Effectively, 1984, 1989

John Torney, Jr. & Robert Clayton

    Aquatic Instruction, Coaching and Management, 1970

Teaching Aquatics, 1981

Aquatic Organization and Management, 1981

John Troup & Randy Reese

     A Scientific Approach to the Sport of Swimming, 1983

Chuck Warner

     Four Champions, One Gold Medal

Conrad Wennerburg

     Wind, Waves and Sunburn, 1974

Nancy Wightman & Janet Chiefari

     Better Synchronized Swimming for Girls, 1981