Article 1388

I just happened to be searching the web for my father, Wallace W Laury , and was thrilled to find him on your site.

For your records, he was born 17 July, 1901. He died 22 May, 1991. He gave his life to swimming and diving as a coach, timer and judge for some 25 years, founder & president of Michigan Amateur Acquatics, creator of slide calculator for diving awards used until computers took over. He was coaching in the swimming & diving world (Detroit-Northwestern HS & Wayne State U) from about 1925 to 1960 when he moved to Honolulu. His friends & colleagues ranged from folks like Matt Mann (UM) to Coach (Soichi) Sakamoto (UH).

He only began his competitive swimming at age of 60 in Hawaii which he continued for some 23 years. He was awarded the trophy for oldest entrant to finish every year in the Waikiki Rough Water Swim since its inception.

I have not been involved in the swim world since early '80s when we went to the mainland & my father exited the Hawaii swim scene. He and I took my 2 children to Detroit Waldorf School where I did Teacher Training and he actually taught swimming to the students there . . . his last teaching job - full circle back to Detroit.

He officiated & judged at all the Olympic trials at Brennan (Rouge) Pools in the '40s & '50s. So I grew up with swimming world as a way of life. I remember from age 4 on, getting very upset when the Northwestern HS team would always throw their "Coach" in the pool as they won meet after meet -- 13 (or 14) City Championships in a row. I was the team mascot.

Many swimmers, divers, & coaches were close to our family, ie. Tom Gompf, Dick Kimball, Ford Konno, Bill Smith, Alvaro Gaxiola, Mike Peppe, Buck & Rosemary Dawson, Bruce Harlan, Hobie Billingsly, most from Big 10 schools in that era.

Aloha from Judy Laury.