International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame

On November 10, 2018 I received a surprise of a lifetime during the Global Open Water Summit in San Francisco.    While sitting in the audience,  I watched several outstanding speakers give fabulous presentations on open water swimming.    Ned Denison, the Chairperson of the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame gave his video presentation from Ireland.   I was sitting in the audience watching a large projector screen of the above video.  I was stunned when I heard my name called that I had been inducted into the IMSHOF.    I cried tears of joy.  Many thanks to IMSHOF for voting me into the Hall of Fame.  A special thank you to Ned Denison for surprising me.....it’s a moment that I will always cherish.
   It takes a team for a solo swimmer to be successful.   Many thanks to my husband, children,
grandchildren, family, friends, and all my crew members and boat pilots for their incredible support.   Thank you to the best friend ever, Yoko Aoshima, who has been a tremendous swimming partner.   A special thank you to my son Tom for encouraging me many years ago to try open water swimming as a tribute to my brother Robbie.   To Robbie and Johnny this is for you.