A Special Dedication...

In three weeks I will be in California to swim from Catalina Island to the mainland of California. I'm looking forward to this very challenging swim. Yesterday, a crew meeting was held with my brother Bill and his wife Jean to discuss the logistics of my swim.   My brother Bill requested a special dedication of my Catalina Swim to our brother Johnny who died at the age of 17 in a very tragic high school accident many years ago. Johnny was an outstanding young man. A leader. He was the captain of the Westbrook High School track team.  Two weeks before his untimely death, Johnny had broken the record for the State of Maine 2 mile run. Also, Johnny was a morning newspaper carrier delivering the Portland Press Herald before going to school each day.  On Sundays, he was an altar boy assisting with  morning mass at St.Hyacinths Church .  He had a wonderful sense of humor and always spoke very highly of everyone he met. He had a great sense of pride in family and country. It was an extremely painful loss for our family.   I am dedicating my swim of Catalina in his memory.