Profiling Carolyn P. Haefner

Carolyn P. Haefner was born in Elgin, Ill., and grew up in Boston, Kansas City, Wheaton, and Glen Ellen, Ill. She learned to swim early, but only participated in some minor country club competitions while growing up. It wasn't until much later, when she was the aquatics director at the Walton Life Fitness Center in Bentonville, Ark., that she started swimming again.

Carolyn has been married for 42 years, and has four children and 11 grandchildren. Her children were all swimmers, and currently (2003) she has seven grandchildren on the Wal-Mart Swim Club team in Bentonville. She has retired from Wal-Mart, but still coaches the local Masters team, and continues to run an outstanding meet every June at the excellent 50-meter facility of the Walton Life Fitness Center.

She is the guiding force behind Masters swimming in Northwest Arkansas and has been the chairman of the Arkansas Masters for about six years as well as serving in many other positions in the LMSC.

Carolyn swims one to two miles, five days a week. One of her swimming highlights was winning a gold medal in the 100 LCM breaststroke.