International Swimming Hall of Fame Announces Various Awards

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida, April 27. THE International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) announced several awards today. Jeff Wiltse, an assistant professor at the University of Montana, will receive the 2007 William F. "Buck" Dawson Author's Award. Additionally, Craig Lord has been named the 2007 Al Schoenfield Award recipient, while Jim Ellis earned the 2007 President's Award. They will each be honored at ISHOF's 43rd Annual TOYOTA Honoree Induction Weekend May 10-13.

ISHOF provided the following write-ups about each honoree:

DAWSON AWARD
The Dawson Award, recognizes authors for works that promote swimming. Dawson was ISHOF's founding Executive Director of ISHOF, is a Director Emeritus of ISHOF and is the author of over a dozen books on topics ranging from Swimming to Volcanoes and World War II.

Wiltse is being recognized for his just released book, Contested Waters: A Social History of Swimming Pools in America, published by the University of North Carolina Press.

"In Contested Waters, professor Wiltse provides an entertaining, fascinating and at times disturbing look at the remarkably significant role swimming has played in shaping our modern social and cultural landscape," said Bruce Wigo, ISHOF CEO. "If you want to understand America, whether you are interested in swimming or not, you will want to read this book."

Wiltse will also give a lecture about his book, participate in a panel discussion on "Government and Swimming," and have a book signing, starting at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 12, 2007.

SCHOENFIELD AWARD
Since 1989, Craig Lord has covered every Olympic Games, World Championship and European Championship as a Swimming Correspondent for The Times and Sunday Times of London, England. All the while, he has been challenging the status quo, campaigning for fairness, speaking out against cheating and supporting the rights of swimmers and coaches to be active stakeholders in determining the direction of their sport.

Throughout the 1990s, Lord was at the forefront of reporting the illegal drug scandals that dogged the swimming world. He was a thorn-in-the-side of authorities who sat by as China threatened to take up where the GDR left off as a dominant force fuelled on banned performance-enhancing substances.

In 1998, Lord broke the news that Michelle Smith de Bruin, the Irish triple Olympic champion of 1996, faced suspension for manipulating a drug-test sample. Smith de Bruin was subsequently suspended and retired while serving her ban.

A year later, he traveled into China, a nation with more than 30 drug bans to its name in the pool. He emerged to reveal how the system contributed to rampant drug abuse by those in key roles in Chinese sport and how anabolic steroids were readily available for sale in local markets.

While serving as swimming correspondent for The Times, Lord also worked in the business, home news and features departments of the newspaper. As Deputy Editor of Times Online in 2000, he researched and compiled the organization's Olympic archives.

Lord has been a European correspondent for Swimming World Magazine in the United States and Swim News in Canada. He also provides a daily digest of news and commentary for SwimNews.com, writing for Swim News publisher Nick Thierry, a recipient of this award and an ISHOF Hall of Famer.

Al Schoenfield was editor and publisher of Swimming World Magazine and Swimming Technique magazines (1960-1977) and served on various international committees for swimming including the FINA Technical Swimming Committee (1980-1984).

Al's life was a commitment to swimming. He participated in its administrative structure and spread its stories through his magazines and promotions. Al died on April 19, 2005, but his legacy will forever endure to all who have benefited from his lifetime of service to swimming.

Past recipients of this award, include Sports broadcaster New York Times journalist Frank Litsky, Jim McKay, Olympic documentarian Bud Greenspan and south Florida journalist Sharon Robb.

PRESIDENT'S AWARD
Jim Ellis is a swim coach and youth mentor who built a successful swimming program in one of Philadelphia's most impoverished neighborhoods in the 1970s. When Ellis founded the P.D.R. swim team in 1971, it was a time when the lives of young African-American teens in Philadelphia were often full of hardship and prejudice. P.D.R. has gone on to be one of the most successful swim programs in USA Swimming. Ellis is being recognized not only for his accomplishments as a coach and mentor, but bringing his personal story to the Big Screen.

"Jim is a remarkable individual with a remarkable story to tell," said Wigo. "We all share Jim's dream that PRIDE will serve as an inspiration for more African-Americans and everyone who sees the film to share his love of swimming,"

PRIDE, which opened in theaters March 23, stars recent Oscar nominee Terrence Howard (Hustle and Flow, Crash, Ray), popular comedian turned actor Bernie Mac (The Bernie Mac Show, Kings of Comedy, Ocean's Eleven), and Kimberly Elise (star of CBS series Close to Home).

The President's Award, recognizes individuals for their outstanding contributions to promote the mission of the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

The International Swimming Hall of Fame opened in 1965 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., as the first amateur sports hall of fame and the first international sports hall of fame in the world. ISHOF's mission is to promote the benefits and importance of swimming as a key to fitness, good health, quality of life, and the water safety of children. For more information ISHOF or the 43rd Annual ISHOF Induction Ceremonies, call 954-462-6536.

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