Celebrating the Birthday of our Founder, the man who lived the most amazing life ~ Buck Dawson
Born on Halloween, which was appropriate if you knew him, in the year 1920, the founder of the International Swimming Hall of Fame, William Forrest “Buck” Dawson came into the world in Orange, New Jersey. Known as “Mr. Swimming Hall of Fame,” it was Buck’s tireless efforts that established the International Swimming Hall of Fame’s presence in Fort Lauderdale, helping give rise to what many view as Fort Lauderdale—Swimming Capital of the World. For a person who could not swim, Buck did more for swimming than any non-swimmer in the world. He was a promoter, author, historian, fundraiser and prankster.
Dawson first got involved in swimming after his marriage to RoseMary Mann Dawson, daughter of University of Michigan’s Matt Mann, 1952 U.S. Olympic Swimming Coach. RoseMary coached swimming at Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale for over 15 years.
He was chosen as the International Swimming Hall of Fame’s first executive director in 1963 after helping Fort Lauderdale win the host city bid at the National AAU Convention in Detroit. With the help of Fort Lauderdale pioneer G. Harold Martin, who wrote the Hall’s Charter, Dawson made the Hall grow from an idea to a shoebox collection and ultimately a million-dollar operation as the showcase and archives of swimming. A tireless, smiling, globetrotting ambassador of swimming, he can be credited with helping attract thousands of athletes, fans and press alike who flocked to Fort Lauderdale for sun, fun and swimming. Visiting college swim teams training at the Hall of Fame spread the word up North that resulted in Fort Lauderdale’s annual Spring Break.
It was Dawson who urged the YMCA in 1972 to bring their National Championships to Fort Lauderdale which is now is the largest annual National swimming event in numbers of athletes and spectators in the country. The FINA International Diving Grand Prix, nationally televised for most of the past 30+ years, is a Dawson creation, as is the 45th Annual Fort Lauderdale Rough Water Swim, formerly International Swimming Hall of Fame Ocean Mile and Galt Ocean Mile Swims, and now the longest-running ocean mile swim on the eastern coast of the United States.
At one time or another, he brought the U.S. National Championships of swimming, diving, synchronized swimming and water polo to Fort Lauderdale. It was Dawson who gave the now Fort Lauderdale-based American Swimming Coaches Association roots in 1971 when he and Hall of Fame staff assumed administrative duties for ASCA.
Dawson was the first president of the International Sports Heritage Association, now a 150+ member organization of Sports Halls of Fame which he founded under the name of International Association of Sports Museums and Halls of Fame. His first meeting in Fort Lauderdale in 1971 had only two other organizations in attendance—the Hockey Hall of Fame of Canada and the Canadian Aquatic Hall of Fame. Under Dawson’s leadership, ISHOF became the world’s first “International” Hall of Fame when it was recognized by the 96 member FINA Congress (the world’s governing body of swimming) in 1968. ISHOF was also the first Hall of Fame to have the “field of play,” the swimming pool, on site.
Dawson traveled throughout the year from meet to meet armed with Fort Lauderdale and Hall of Fame brochures, books and bumper stickers, always spreading the word, always willing to talk and teach swimming to anyone who would listen. As swimming’s walking encyclopedia, he was respected in his field not only for his knowledge, but his zest for life, his search for new facts, memorabilia, new ways to teach children to swim and keep the sport alive and growing. Dawson was the link between the age group swimmers and swimming’s legends. He brought Tarzan Johnny Weissmuller to Fort Lauderdale for six years as ISHOF’s Chairman of the Board. Buster Crabbe, Eleanor Holm and Esther Williams were regulars. Dawson was the common denominator that tied the past to the present.
He was born in the same hospital room that produced swimming greats Bill Simon (USOC and ISHOF President), Ginny Duenkel (Olympic Swimming Champion), and Fort Lauderdale’s Alice and Dick Kempthorne of ISHOF and US Swimming Fame, Buck was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Cecil Dawson of Easton, PA. His father was President of Dixie Cup Company (and later went on to head the “Keep America Beautiful” Campaign) while Buck attended prep school at Blair Academy (NJ) where he was an all-state track captain and a state champion halfback on Blair’s undefeated football team. His sports talent continued at the University of Michigan and included freshman football and running on the track team where his 880-yard relay team set an indoor world best time. He was a member of Phi Gamma Delta. He was elected to Michigauma, the senior honor society, and was managing editor of the Michigan Ensian Yearbook in 1948, his senior year. He completely re-organized the book from cover to cover, and his writing career took off where in the next 55 years he wrote hundreds of short stories and authored or co-authored over 18 books on a full range of subjects from swimming, volcanoes and the environment, the American Civil War and World War II. He received Michigan’s prestigious Hopwood Prize for Writing. Some of his books include A Civil War Artist From the Front (the work of Edwin Forbes, combat artist), When the Earth Explodes, Michigan Ensian (50 year history of Michigan Athletics), All About Dryland Exercises For Swimmers, Weissmuller to Spitz—An Era to Remember (Swimming Hall of Famers from 1965-1987), Age Group Swimming and Diving For Teacher and Pupil (with wife RoseMary), Million Dollar Mermaids—America’s Love Affair With Its First Women Swimmers, Gold Medal Pools (features the world’s most beautiful pools), We Don’t Sew Beads on Belts (a 500 page scrapbook of memories of Camps Chikopi and Ak-O-Mak) and Stand Up and Hook Up (his diary as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne).
Dawson was a combat platoon leader and glider trooper with Co. E, 235 GIR, Division Reconnaissance and Division Headquarters. He is a recipient of 17 decorations including the Bronze Star and French Medal of Honor. He landed at Nijmegen, Holland, on September 17, 1944, in Operations Market Garden, participated in the Battle of the Bulge and the crossing of the Siegfried Line, crossing the Elbe River and meeting the Russians at Grabow, Northern Germany. He also occupied Berlin, in charge of press relations for General James Gavin and the 82nd Division. Among his duties were to escort Marlene Dietrich and Ingrid Bergman through the city, to report the progress of the troops. In the process, he befriended Dietrich, serving as the liaison between her and her mother in occupied Berlin. He tried to impress Bergman by jumping off Hitler’s balcony when asked how Hitler may have escaped the raids.
After the New York Victory Parade down Broadway, he wrote the Saga of the All American, the official history of the 82nd Airborne, a task assigned to him in England by General Matthew Ridgeway. His previous service with the 10th Mountain Division Ski Troops had given experience to handle deep snow in Ardennes Patrol. He returned to service during the Korean War as the public information officer for Army Air Support Center, publicity officer for National Army and Air Force Recruiting. He was a writer for Admiral Carney’s NATO command of southern Europe and editor of the Jayhawk (newspaper) for General Gavin’s V Corps, Germany. He spent his last Army year in Walter Reed Hospital recovering from multiple injuries suffered in a jeep accident. He was discharged from the hospital wearing a black eye patch over his left eye, a patch which became his identification mark for the rest of his life. He was a special assistant to the Director of the Peace Corp in the early 1970’s.
After the war, Dawson returned to Ann Arbor to complete his BA under the GI Bill, focusing his energy on Michigan’s Ensign Yearbook. As yearbook editor in 1948, Dawson traveled with Michigan’s first football team since 1902 to compete in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Marlene Dietrich and director Billy Wilder were there to greet Dawson as he was hoping for a break into the movies, which because of the rise of television, never materialized. A $100 bet with Humphrey Bogart on a Dawson declared score of 50-0 horrified Dawson when Michigan only won by a 49-0 score. He wondered how he would come up with the money to pay movies’ toughest guy. On the set of Foreign Affair, Wilder was the one to say, “Don’t worry about it with only a one-point difference.”
His 1955 marriage to RoseMary Mann Corson, a widow with three children, was his invitation to join the Mann family camps Ak-o-Mak (for girls) and Chikopi (for boys), the world’s first competitive swimming camps and located in Ontario, Canada, founded by RoseMary’s father, Michigan and Olympic swimming coach Matt Mann in 1920. Dawson was the campfire entertainment, sports teacher and instigator while RoseMary was the swimming coach, disciplinarian and philosopher—a perfect combination of talent. Dawson was all outdoorsman, a sportsman, the kind of guy you can get lost in the woods with and laugh your head off before he finds your way back. Campers still tell “Buck the Hero” stories.
Dawson’s interest in lake swimming led to his training swimmers for marathon swimming races and included Marty Sinn, Susie Thrasher, Jocelyn Muir and more, taking them on crossings of the English Channel, Lake Ontario and other bodies of water. The camp girls (and boys) competed in the U.S. Long Distance Championship Three- and Four-Mile Swims, each summer usually held in Huntington, Indiana. His competitive spirit flowed into all that Dawson did at Ak-O-Mak and Chikopi including the inter-camp softball and soccer competitions—boys against girls. In his later camp years, Dawson was a storyteller, a cheerleader and biggest booster. With his PR mind, he took Matt Mann’s words and put them to work—”We Don’t Sew Beads on Belts,” meaning camp is all action, all activity.
With Rosemary, he helped organize the Ann Arbor, Michigan, Swim Club in the late 1950’s, one of the country’s first swimming clubs for women. He was Chair of Michigan Women’s AAU Swimming for eight years and served three terms on the United States Olympic Swimming Committee. He shared responsibility with RoseMary in starting National Collegiate Swimming for women and reviving National Women’s Water Polo in the early 1960’s.
Dawson followed RoseMary from Ann Arbor to London, Ontario in 1963, when she became the first women’s coach of any sport at the University of Western Ontario. Then it was RoseMary’s turn to follow Buck the next year to Fort Lauderdale when Buck opened the International Swimming Hall of Fame. By now they had four children, three daughters and one son. Connie was an outstanding women’s swim coach. Marilyn made two Canadian Olympic swim teams winning a bronze medal in 1968 (4x100m freestyle) and serving as team captain in 1972. She won four Pan American and two Commonwealth Games medals. Marci and Bruce were outstanding high school swimmers. Marci pre-deceased her parents.
Dawson was hype, show business, a collector, historian, dog trainer, fund raiser and ladies man. But most of all, he always got his kicks out of promoting somebody or something he believed in: General Ridgeway, General Gavin, the 82nd Airborne, Camps Ak-O-Mak and Chikopi, the University of Michigan, his wife, children, father-in-law, and ultimately the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
A 45-year resident of Fort Lauderdale, Dawson was honored as Fort Lauderdale Distinguished Citizen of the Year in 1987, for his many contributions to the City. Under his leadership, the ISHOF became the center of activity on the beach and the anchor for beach revitalization in the 1990’s. He received many honorary awards including the Wilbert E. Longfellow Commodore and Golden Whale for the promotion of water safety; the R. Max Ritter Award, the highest honor bestowed by U.S.A swimming; the W.R. “Bill” Schroeder Award, the most prestigious award from the International Sports Heritage Association; the Joseph G. Rogers Award, the National YMCA’s Grand Award; and the Davids/Wheeler Award for Meritorious Service to Long Distance Swimming. He was inducted into the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame as a coach/contributor and into his own International Swimming Hall of Fame as a contributor following retirement in 1986. The International Swimming Hall of Fame recently announced the Buck Dawson Annual Author’s Award presented to the author of an inspiring book related to swimming.
There will never be another Buck Dawson.
Paul Asmuth to receive 2026 Poseidon Award
FORT LAUDERDALE –
The International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) is proud to announce Paul Asmuth, of the United States of America, as this year’s recipient of the 2026 Poseidon Award for her incredible achievements in marathon swimming. The award will be presented to Asmuth during the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (IMSHOF) Induction and Award Ceremony on Saturday May 16th, 2025, in San Diego. The Poseidon Award, presented annually by the International Swimming Hall of Fame, recognizes outstanding contributions to marathon swimming. This award honors individuals or organizations that have significantly advanced the sport of Marathon swimming through their personal efforts or initiatives.
This year’s award honors Paul Asmuth who finished 55 professional marathon swimming races from 1980 to 2004, winning a record 18 Majors. During this time, he won seven World Professional Marathon Swimming Federation Championship titles. He completed the English Channel three times – setting the male speed record in 1985. His longest race/swim was the 64 km double crossing of Lac St. Jean in a speed record of 17:06 in 1989. He also won the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim, 37 km Around the Island marathon swim in Atlantic City 8 times, 42 km La Traversee du Lac Memphremagog 6 times, and 36 km Capri-Naples 3 times.
Paul raced in oceans, lakes, seas, back bays, and rivers with temperatures ranging between 13 C and 30 C (53F to 86F). He was the first to swim the 38.6 km Sound between Nantucket and Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
From 2006 to 2012, Paul advised and coached the USA open water national team including at the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Olympics. During this period, he contributed his knowledge and experience to help pool swimmers become open water World Champions/Medalists and an Olympic silver medalist.
Paul was inducted into the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in 1982 and the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2010.
For additional information, please call Ned Denison in Ireland at (+353) 87-987-1573 or ISHOF at (+1954) 462-6536, or visit http://www.ishof.org
2026 marks the 100th year anniversary of Honoree Gertrude Ederle’s English Channel Crossing ~ Get your sticker!!
From the International Swimming Hall of Fame:
Marathon 2026 will mark the 100th year anniversary of Honoree Gertrude Ederle’s English Channel crossing.
The first woman and she set the overall speed record! In an era when women we not supposed to do sports – her swim changed perceptions and opened up sporting opportunities for women.
IMSHOF will produce decals (see picture) for the attendees at the Class of 2026 Induction & Award Ceremony in San Diego on 16th May 2026.
We encourage any other individuals/organizations to contact us (info@imshof.org) to get the full print version – and arrange to get a stack for you local club/event – or even sell. When ordering you might want 2 types (stick on – example a computer top and stick behind – example on the inside of a car window to show outside).
Display with pride
Buck Dawson and Bob Duenkel visiting with Gertrude “Trudy” Ederle at her New York home on her 88th birthday.
Pioneer in Women’s Swimming and 1967 ISHOF Honoree ~ Fanny Durack was born today in 1889
by John Lohn
Aussie Fanny Durack a Pioneer in Olympic Women’s Swimming As The First Champion
On October 27, 1889, Australian Swimming Pioneer, Fanny Durack was born in Sydney, Australia. Durack became the first female Olympic swimming champion at the Stockholm Olympic Games in the 100m freestyle, on July 12, 1912.
When the Olympic Games returned to Tokyo in 2021, one of the highlights was a swimming schedule that was identical for men and women, the 1500 freestyle added for the ladies and the 800 freestyle added to the program for the gentlemen. But the first four editions of swimming at the Modern Olympics did not feature equality, women were not involved until 1912, at which point Fanny Durack made a major splash.
Not long after Hungarian Alfred Hajos became the first Olympic swimming champion, winning the gold medal in the 100 freestyle at the 1896 Games in Athens, Australia’s Sarah “Fanny” Durack developed the urge to learn to swim. It wasn’t that Durack, a youngster at the time, was inspired by Hajos’ efforts, or the performances by any other male swimmer.
Rather, Durack’s desire to swim was triggered out of necessity and in the pursuit of peace of mind. While on vacation as a 9-year-old, Durack struggled with the surf in her native land, and it was that experience which convinced her to become water safe. It was a decision which made Durack swimming’s first female superstar.
From 1896, when the first Modern Games were held in the birthplace of the Ancient Olympics, through 1908, only men were allowed to compete in swimming at the Olympics. During that time, the likes of Hajos, American Charles Daniels, Great Britain’s Henry Taylor and Hungary’s Zoltan Halmay emerged as the sport’s standouts.
It wasn’t like women were banned from the Olympics altogether during that stretch of time, as female athletes competed in events such as sailing, tennis and equestrian as early as the 1900 Games in Paris. Swimming, though, didn’t create a coed program until the 1912 Games, which were held in Stockholm, Sweden.
When it was announced women would be invited to compete in Stockholm, some countries jumped at the opportunity while others were disinterested. Only 27 women took part in the two swimming events, the 100 freestyle and 400 freestyle relay, with host Sweden and Great Britain sending six athletes each. Australia sent two swimmers, Durack and Mina Wylie, while the United States opted to send no women, despite fielding a team of seven men.
Belle Moore, Jennie Fletcher, a team chaperone, Annie Speirs and Irene Steer at Stockholm 1912 – Photo Courtesy: ISHOF
While Durack had put together an impressive career, Wylie actually held the upper hand over her countrywoman in the leadup to the 1912 Games. Wylie beat Durack on several occasions at the Australian Championships and was considered a gold-medal favorite as much as Durack, who had the higher profile.
Getting to the Olympics, however, proved to be an issue for Durack and Wylie, with politics playing a role. Considering the role politics have played throughout the history of the Olympic Games, maybe it was fitting Durack and Wylie had to play a waiting game.
“The Aussie men in charge of selecting the team for the 1912 Games declared that it was a waste of time and money to send women to Sweden,” wrote Craig Lord in an article for the former SwimVortex website.
“The rule book didn’t help, either. The New South Wales Ladies’ Amateur Swimming Association regulations held that no women could compete at events where men were present. A public outcry resulted in a vote and rule change at the association and Durack and Wylie were allowed to make the journey to Europe – provided they paid for themselves. The wife of Hugh McIntosh, a sporting and theatrical entrepreneur and newspaper proprietor, launched a successful appeal for funds and with money donated by the public, family and friends, Durack sailed for Sweden via London, where she was reported to have trained half a mile a day.”
The competition pool was hardly high-tech in nature, constructed in Stockholm Harbor and consisting of salt water. But Durack wasn’t derailed by the conditions. Representing Australasia, a combined team from Australia and New Zealand, Durack opened her Olympic career in grand fashion, setting a world record of 1:19.8 during qualifying heats of the 100 freestyle. She followed by winning her semifinal easily, and then captured the gold medal with a time of 1:22.2, more than three seconds quicker than Wylie.
To read Sarah “Fanny” Durack’s Honoree bio, click here: https://ishof.org/honoree/honoree-fanny-durack/
ISHOF Seeking Nominations for the 2026 ISHOF Aquatic Awards presented by AquaCal (formerly Paragon Awards)
ISHOF seeks nominations for the 2026 ISHOF Aquatic Awards presented by AquaCal
The International Swimming Hall of Fame announces the call for nominations for the 2026 ISHOF Aquatic Awards to be presented at the International Swimming Hall of Fame’s Honoree Induction weekend, which will be held in Fort Lauderdale, date TBD. Sponsored by AquaCal, the awards are presented each year for outstanding contributions and leadership in several swimming and aquatic-related categories.
Candidates may be nominated for the Aquatic Awards in the following categories:
Competitive Swimming
Competitive Diving
Competitive Synchronized Swimming
Competitive Water Polo
Aquatic Safety
Recreational Swimming
Kindly submit your nominees by December 1, 2025. Please include any relevant data to support your nomination, the aquatic category for nomination, as well as a brief biography of each individual, a high-resolution image and their current contact information.
Get more information about the event and see the 2025 winners: https://ishof.org/the-ishof-aquatic-awards-presented-by-aquacal-show-the-very-best-our-sports-have-to-offer/
Nominations may be sent to:
Meg Keller-Marrvin
International Swimming Hall of Fame
e-mail: meg@ishof.org
(570) 594.4367
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.
Butterflyers ~ Who’s the Best? Play along in our “Name your favorite “Flyer” CONTEST and WIN a PRIZE !!
Honoree Mary T. Meagher bio: https://ishof.org/honoree/honoree-mary-meagher/
Since its inception in 1965, the International Swimming Hall of Fame has inducted 338 Swimmers from 28 different nations from around the globe. They all had their own specialized stroke. Some had more than one. Today, we are going to focus on the BUTTERFLY swimmers.
From the early days of the fly with names like Mike Troy, (USA) Kevin Berry (AUS), Mary T. to Matt Biondi (USA), Pablo Morales (USA), Susie O’Neill (AUS), Craig Beardsley (USA) to Michael Phelps and Joseph Schooling (SGP) to today’s Gretchen Walsh!
Who is your favorite Flyer? Name your FAVORITE BUTTERFLY SWIMMER IN THE COMMENTS SECTION ALONG WITH YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS for a chance to win a prize from ISHOF.
Share it onto your social media page and you get two chances to win!
Honoree Joseph Schooling https://ishof.org/honoree/joseph-schooling/
Honoree Kevin Berry https://ishof.org/honoree/honoree-kevin-berry/
Susan O’Neill https://ishof.org/honoree/honoree-susan-oneill/
Celtics Star Jaylen Brown Details Partnership with ISHOF Honoree Dara Torres, Boston College
by Matthew De George – Senior Writer
19 October 2025
Celtics All-Star forward Jaylen Brown incorporated an aquatic regimen to his offseason this year, working with Boston College coach Dara Torres.
Brown discussed the training during a recent interview with NBC Sports Boston on the Celtics preseason media day.
Celtics athletic trainer Drew Moore reached out to BC to see if someone on Torres’ staff would be interested in helping one of their players. It turned out to be Brown, the four-time All-Star and 2024 NBA Finals MVP.
Torres, a 12-time Olympic medalist about to start her second season as the head coach of the Eagles’ men’s and women’s teams, volunteered. She worked first with Brown in a therapy pool at the Celtics’ Auerbach Center team complex before relocating to BC’s Margot Connell Recreation Center pool about two miles away.
Brown went from a couple of workouts with Torres and assistant coach Chris Morgan to several weeks of multiple days of training.
“Just to perfect my form in the water,” Brown said. “Try to master your efficiency, no wasted movement. I feel like the better swimmer you are is an analogy to life. You don’t want no wasted movement, no drag, no extra. You want to just be able to get from Point A to Point B as easy as possible.”
Brown, who turns 29 this month, stands 6-6 and 223 pounds. He’s been remarkably durable in his NBA career since the Celtics took him No. 3 overall in the 2016 NBA Draft out of Cal, playing in at least 57 games in all nine of his pro seasons, though he was recovering this summer from surgery to repair a partially torn meniscus in his knee.
He averaged 22.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 63 games last season, perhaps somewhat hampered by the meniscus. He has averaged 19.3 points in 135 career playoff games, winning an NBA title in 2024.
He and Torres worked on learning new techniques with apparatuses like fins and snorkels. Torres was impressed by his aerobic capacity to start with as well as his attention to detail. Brown had a fixation on making sure he was improving his technique in each workout.
“He could see the mistakes that he made at the beginning, and then the corrections that he made afterwards,” Torres said. “You can see how much more efficient he was as he made those changes.”
Video of Brown’s training and his interview is available at NBC Sports Boston.
Every Child A Swimmer Continuing to Grow – New York added ~ California up next!
Creating a Unified National Message: Together We’re Turning Awareness into ActionDrowning remains the leading cause of accidental death for children ages 1–4—and it is entirelypreventable. The Every Child a Swimmer (ECAS) program is changing that reality by advancinglegislation nationwide that gives parents the life-saving knowledge they need to keep childrensafe in and around water.
Originally passed in Florida in 2021, the Every Child a Swimmer law requires that parents orguardians receive water safety information at the time of school enrollment. This simpleapproach ensures families are educated about risk factors associated with drowning, theimportance of swim lessons, and where to find local resources. By turning schools into trustedmessengers for prevention, this legislation helps close the awareness gap that too often leadsto tragedy.
Since its passage in Florida, the ECAS model has gained extraordinary momentum. Georgia,Arkansas, New Mexico, Arizona, Washington State, and now New York and California have allenacted or adopted versions of the Every Child a Swimmer legislation. Each new law representsanother life-saving victory—and another step toward creating a generation of safer, strongerswimmers.
A Milestone Moment in New YorkOn September 26, 2025, Governor Kathy Hochul signed New York’s “Every Child a Swimmer” billinto law, making the state the latest to join this vital movement. Beginning in the 2026–2027school year, every New York school will provide parents with water safety information atenrollment—an initiative expected to reach millions of families statewide.
“This is a monumental victory for every child and family in New York,” said Brendan O’Melveny,Founder of the New York Water Safety Coalition, the group that championed the bill. “We’reproud that New York has become one of the first states to join this national effort to protectour children.”
Casey McGovern, Executive Director of the Every Child a Swimmer Foundation, shared heartfeltgratitude for the collaboration that made the law possible: “Drowning is preventable, and thislaw is a powerful step forward in educating parents about the risk factors and providing themwith the knowledge to keep their children safe. Together, we are changing the narrative andbuilding a generation of safer, stronger swimmers.”
Legislative sponsors Senator Cordell Cleare and Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelynwere also recognized for their leadership in championing this life-saving measure. SenatorCleare noted that the law “will be empowering in many ways, including by addressing the greatinequity in drowning incidents that disproportionately affects Black children, youth, andadults.”
The growing success of Every Child a Swimmer reflects the power of unity—among publicofficials, nonprofits, advocates, aquatics industry, and the pool industry—working togethertoward a shared purpose. As McGovern emphasizes, “This is about accountability, equity, andimpact—ensuring all families, regardless of circumstance, have access to life-saving educationand resources.”
As California prepares to implement its newly signed version of the bill, ECAS and its partnersremain committed to one goal: expanding this legislation across all 50 states.We are deeply grateful to every community partner helping us create a unified message ofprevention, education, and hope—because every child deserves the chance to be a swimmer.
Dive Into Purpose: Local Leaders Unite Philanthropy, Health, and Water Safety at ISHOF
On November 18th, the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) will host Dive Into Purpose — an evening that brings together leading voices in philanthropy, health, and education for a powerful roundtable conversation on giving with impact.
Presented by Fiduciary Trust International (FTI), the event will feature leaders from the Dan Marino Foundation, Every Child a Swimmer (ECAS), the Community Foundation of Broward, and the Autism Society of Florida. Together, they’ll explore how collaboration across causes like autism support, children’s health, and water safety can create meaningful, lasting change.
Set against the backdrop of ISHOF’s signature Dive Show, and attended by many of South Florida’s most engaged philanthropists, Dive Into Purpose will highlight how partnerships between nonprofits, community leaders, and the private sector can inspire generosity and strengthen our community.
“This evening is about bringing people together who care deeply about making a difference — and showing what happens when we align philanthropy with purpose,” said Matt McKean, Wealth Director at Fiduciary Trust International and event moderator. “It’s an opportunity to spark ideas, connect changemakers, and inspire a culture of giving.”
“We’re honored to host this event at ISHOF, which sits at the heart of our community’s legacy in swimming and water safety,” said Amy Cumming, Executive Director of the International Swimming Hall of Fame. “By joining forces with organizations like the Dan Marino Foundation and ECAS, we can extend that mission to reach even more families.”
Aussie Swim Queen Ariarne Titmus Calls Time On Glittering Career: Retires From Swimming At Age 25
by Ian Hanson – Oceania Correspondent
15 October 2025, 03:42pm
Aussie swim queen Ariarne Titmus (OAM) has officially announced her retirement from all levels of swimming.
The four-time Olympic gold medallist and current 200m world record holder hangs up her suit after a staggering haul of 33 international medals including eight Olympic medals (four gold; three silver and one bronze); nine World Championship medals (four gold; two silver and three bronze) and eight Commonwealth Games medals (seven gold and one bronze).
The 25-year-old, dubbed “Arnie The Terminator” after her breakthrough Olympic performance in Tokyo, retires as one of the greatest distance swimmers of all time.
At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Titmus achieved an historic third individual Olympic gold medal, defending her 400m freestyle title in “The Race Of The Century’, where she defeated the other two previous world record holders of this event – American all-time great Katie Ledecky, and Canadian swimming prodigy Summer McIntosh.
In doing so, Titmus became the first Australian athlete since Dawn Fraser in 1964, to win back-to-back gold medals in the same event.
Born and bred in Tasmania, whose family left “The Apple Isle” to give their daughter an opportunity to pursue her swimming dreams, unearthing a phenomena who chased those dreams with coach Dean Boxall at the Brisbane-based St Peters Western Swim Club program in Indooroopilly – her “leave no stone unturned and all or nothing” attitude saw her conquer the mountain time and time again.
In a tell-all and at times emotional retirement interview, “Arnie” gives a thought provoking insight into the little girl who left Tasmania to set her sights on Olympic gold – something she admits was probably out of her reach..but the goal to be the best and to chase Katie Ledecky “The GOAT” who she praises for her pursuits…and reveals the toll of her health scare and a what’s next in a life about to re-start at aged 25.
What a true champion you have been both in and out of the pool Arnie…………..Thanks for the memories !
Brief career snapshot below:
Ariarne Titmus: Dolphin #778
Four-time Olympic gold medallist
Two-time Olympian
Reigning Olympic champion in the women’s 400m
Current 200m freestyle world record holder (1:52.23)
At 2024 Australian Selection Trials, Titmus become the first Australian woman since Shane Gould in 1972 to concurrently hold the 200m and 400m free world records
Member of the 4x200m freestyle team that holds the world record.
At the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games became the second swimmer to claim the 200, 400 and 800m freestyle treble at a Commonwealth Games – all in Games records.
Nominated for the 2025 Laureus World Comeback of the Year award for her performance at the 2024 Olympics after recovering from a surgery to remove an ovarian tumour
Photos Courtesy Delly Carr Swimming Australia