Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

SIWIK SWIM TEAM

Date

1958

Materials

BRASS, PLASTIC

No. Pieces

1

Height

17.3

Width

7.5

Description

TROPHY CUP ON BASE "CALGARY 1958 D. ASPESLET, J. WAUGH, B. GILLESPIE, A. POZZI" SIWIK SWIM TEAM. HAS A SQUARE BASE.

Subjects

PERSONAL SYMBOL

Historical Association

SPORTS

History

STAN SIWIK WAS A MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR TO LOCAL, NATIONAL, & INTERNATIONAL SWIM COMPETITION. DONOR IS STAN SIWIK'S WIDOW. *UPDATE* IN 2014 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF ART OBJECTS, INCLUDING ONE ASSOCIATED WITH STAN SIWIK. THE FOLLOWING BIOGRAPHY OF SIWIK WAS DEVELOPED WITH INFORMATION FROM THE GALT ARCHIVES AND HIS LETHBRIDGE HERALD OBITUARY. STANLEY SLAWOMIR SIWIK WAS BORN ON APRIL 4, 1917 IN WARSAW, POLAND. HE BEGAN SWIMMING COMPETITIVELY AT AGE 12, AND REPRESENTED POLAND IN SWIMMING AT THE 1936 BERLIN OLYMPICS. SIWIK ATTENDED WARSAW POLITECHNIC IN THE FACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE UNTIL THE SCHOOL WAS CLOSED BY THE GERMAN OCCUPATIONAL AUTHORITY IN 1939. IN THE FALL OF THAT YEAR HE JOINED THE POLISH UNDERGROUND RESISTANCE AND WAS ARRESTED BY THE GESTAPO IN FEBRUARY, 1940. FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS SIWIK WAS HELD PRISONER IN THE SACHSEHAUSEN CONCENTRATION CAMP. HE IMMIGRATED TO CANADA IN 1948 AND SETTLED IN LETHBRIDGE, WHERE HE WORKED FOR THE PRAIRIE FARM REHABILITATION ASSOCIATION. SIWIK ESTABLISHED THE LETHBRIDGE AMATEUR SWIM CLUB IN 1950, WHICH HE COACHED FOR 25 YEARS. HE ALSO COACHED THE ALBERTA SWIM TEAM AND THE CANADIAN SWIM TEAM, AND WAS A JUDGE AT THE 1968 AND 1972 OLYMPIC GAMES, THE 1967 PAN-AMERICAN GAMES, AND THE 1970 EUROPEAN SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS. SIWIK WAS NAMED TO THE ALBERTA SPORTS HALL OF FAME IN 1962 AND THE LETHBRIDGE SPORTS HALL OF FAME IN 1985. STAN SIWIK PASSED AWAY ON AUGUST 25, 1985. SEE PERMANENT FILE P19920060000 FOR HARDCOPY OF SIWIK'S OBITUARY.

Catalogue Number

P19860133000

Acquisition Date

1986-03

Collection

Museum

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