A Memorable Masters Swimmer

U.S. Masters swimming has lost a fantastic swimmer and an irreplaceable friend. Dave Harrison of the Colonials 1776 Masters in the Delaware Valley passed away on July 4, 2009.

Born in 1937, Harrison was a long time USMS member and attended many U.S. Masters swimming national championships, as well as countless local and regional competitions. Harrison passed away after a short battle with pancreatic cancer, which was diagnosed in the spring of 2009. “He was a fierce competitor—tough as nails,” says Jerry Clark, friend and competitor of Harrison’s. “Win or lose, he was a gentleman through and through,” he adds.

Harrison accomplished much during his time in Masters swimming, including multiple Top 10 finishes and All-American honors. Clark shares, “He was a student of the game and always looking for ways to improve.” Clark shares one of his many memories of Harrison swimming the 1650 freestyle; during one race Clark remembers counting for Harrison and shares, “I had a watch on and was timing his 50 splits 35.1, 35.0, 35.2, 34.9, 35.0 and so on. He was a metronome throughout the event that day. He was always steady. You could count on it.”

It was shared that Harrison passed away surrounded by his family in the Philadelphia area. Harrison will be missed by his friends, competitors, and teammates. “We all will miss his friendliness and his ever present smile, but we’ve been lucky to have known him,” adds Clark.