City of Fort Lauderdale to Proclaim Benjamin Franklin Day To Honor Hall of Fame Induction and Renovation

Photo Courtesy: Mitchell Kramer

On behalf of the International Swimming Hall of Fame and the City of Fort Lauderdale, we are excited to fly in Benjamin Franklin to be honored by the City of Fort Lauderdale.

On Tuesday, February 19th, 2019, the City of Fort Lauderdale will welcome a very special guest – Dr. Benjamin Franklin.* As portrayed by Mitchell Kramer of Philadelphia, Dr. Franklin is coming to Fort Lauderdale to personally thank Mayor Dean Trantalis, District 2 commissioner Steven Glassman, the other City Commissioners and the Taxpayers for authorizing $27 million dollars for the renovation of the International Swimming Hall of Fame Aquatic Center, of which he an honoree. Dr. Franklin will also visit the International Swimming Hall of Fame to open a new exhibit honoring his contributions to swimming.

As Dr. Franklin first said of swimming in 1769, “I wish all were taught to do so in their youth. They would, on many occurrences, be the safer for having that skill, and on many more the happier, as freer from painful apprehensions of danger, to say nothing of the enjoyment in so delightful and wholesome an exercise…And if I had now children to educate, I should prefer those schools (other things being equal) where an opportunity was afforded for acquiring so advantageous an art, which once learnt is never forgotten.”

“It was Franklin’s idea of “Every Child a Swimmer,” that led Fort Lauderdale’s Judge G. Harold Martin to lead the effort to bring the International Swimming Hall of Fame to this city back in 1961,” says ISHOF Historian Bruce Wigo. “Bringing Dr. Franklin to Fort Lauderdale is our way of honoring the City for keeping Judge Martin’s dream alive with its commitment to renovate the aquatic complex and the importance of swimming, water safety and drowning prevention to our community.”

It was a little over fifty years ago, on December 28, 1968, that Dr. Franklin was recognized by the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF), during ceremonies at the grand opening of the ISHOF museum. Unfortunately, Dr. Franklin, having passed away in 1790, was unable to attend.

“Fortunately,” said Dr. Franklin, “I now have the time from my busy schedule to make up for the ‘errata’ – of having missed my induction into the Hall of Fame 50 years ago.”

Upon his arrival at Hollywood/Fort Lauderdale International Airport from Philadelphia, Dr. Franklin will be taken to the International Swimming Hall of Fame at 4:00 pm to inaugurate a new exhibit on his life and entertain visitors through a Question and Answer session in the ISHOF auditorium that is open to the public.

At 6:00 PM, Dr. Franklin will attend a City of Fort Lauderdale Commission meeting to (1) receive a proclamation from the commission in his honor, (2) to make a statement regarding the importance of swimming for all and (3) to commend the commission for its $27M commitment to refurbish the International Swimming Hall of Fame Aquatic Center.

At the conclusion of his brief remarks he will symbolically accept the induction plaque that was presented in absentia 50 years ago and will donate to the Hall of Fame a replica of the hand paddle he made and used when a boy, an original copy of “The Art of Swimming” (Published 1699, this was the book he studied extensively as a child) and a KEY similar to the one he used in his famous “Kite Experiment” in 1742. Both events are open to the public.

Who: – Dr. Benjamin Franklin Day in the City of Fort Lauderdale

What: – That’s right, Dr. Benjamin Franklin will be recognized by a Proclamation from the City of Fort Lauderdale for his first visit to the City, fifty years after his induction into the International Swimming Hall of Fame. As portrayed by Mitchell Kramer, Dr. Franklin will be here to thank the City for committing $27 million dollars to the renovation of the International Swimming Hall of Fame Aquatic Complex and its support of water safety and drowning prevention.

When: Feb. 19, 2019.

Where: 2:30 PM Arrival at FLL

4:00 PM at the International Swimming Hall of Fame

6:00 PM at City Hall, Commission Meeting

About Benjamin Franklin

Dr. Franklin is without question the most noteworthy individual in the Hall of Fame, if not for being the most famous scientist of the 18th Century or the only founding father in a sports hall of fame, then for being the face of the $100 bill. But by all accounts, Franklin’s most impressive talent as a child was swimming and his first scientific experiments and inventions were with swimming hand paddles and swim fins – which are still in use today. In his later years he showcased his swimming abilities and promoted swimming as an essential life skill throughout his lifetime. Swimming is also responsible for introducing him to physics – as swimming and electrical currents are both studies in “Fluid Dynamics.” It was his understanding of the water that led to his discovery that electricity was a single “fluid” that could be captured by the lightning rod that led to him being regarded as the greatest research scientist of the 18th century. So, he is rightfully known as both the “Father of Electricity” and the “Father of Swimming in America.”

About Mitchell Kramer

Mitchell Kramer is a well-known Philadelphia actor and historian who has been portraying Benjamin Franklin for over ten years. He has performed for: The Library Company, the world’s oldest lending library founded by Ben Franklin, Historic Christ Church, Ben Franklin’s church, Valley Forge National Historical Park, Friends of Independence National Historical Park, The University of Pennsylvania, the country’s oldest university founded by Ben Franklin, and many other leading institutions. For more information www.mitchellkramer.com

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