Article 1399
Ashby did succeed and remains the oldest channel swimmer and we did exchange pleasantries when we both swam the 10k Postal in 1985 originally under the supervision of Dorothy LaPorte whose demise two days earlier cast a pall over the sun-baked Arizona LC venue. It was Ashby who recounted in detail the Brown- sponsored Menominee Falls episode which Rose Steward mentions in her oral.
Somewhat later, poor Ashby raced a younger swimmer to a West Coast Open Water finish and touched him out only to die on the sandy beach. He was a great guy who shied away from attracting to much attention toward hmself. He remains the oldest English Channel swimmer - this among his many heretofore unheralded All-American Postals and Open Waters.
Sincerely,
Gary Weisenthal 12/20/01
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