Wednesday, March 18, 2015

For immediate release: DR. SAM BRITTEN TO RECEIVE ISHOF’S John K. Williams, Jr. International Adapted Aquatics Award


 Presented by S.R.Smith

Fort Lauderdale - The Adapted Aquatics Committee of the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) is pleased to announce that Dr. Sam Britten, will receive the 2015 the John K. Williams Jr. International Adapted Aquatics Award. The Award, presented by S.R. Smith, a world-leading manufacturer of commercial and residential swimming pool deck equipment headquartered in Canby, Oregon, will be given to Dr. Britten in conjunction with ISHOF’s 51st Annual Honoree Weekend, on Friday, June 19th, in Santa Clara, Calif. “S.R.Smith has been a leader in making the water accessible to everyone for over 80 years," said Bruce Wigo, ISHOF President/CEO, "and we are grateful for the support of S.R.Smith for making this award possible."
"S.R.Smith is honored to recognize the lifelong contributions of Dr. Sam Britten, for his outstanding work and commitment to the aquatic health of persons with disabilities with this award, " said  Dan Jorgensen, an Olympic gold medal winning swimmer and vice president of sales at S.R. Smith.

Dr. Sam Britten is internationally respected in his field and is one of the most beloved individuals to have ever set foot on the Cal State Northridge campus, where he taught at for 44 years (1959-2003). He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from UCLA and then earned his doctorate at USC where he specialized in rehabilitation training and therapy. He realized his calling at UCLA when he was asked to take a group of blind students to Mexico for spring break.

As a kinesiology professor, Britten created a rehabilitation and physical education center on campus in 1959, where he worked with injured athletes as the head trainer and worked extensively with disabled veterans from the Korean War after they had returned from service. The center grew in scope and by the 1980's the Center of Achievement for the Physically Disabled had been established and had begun to earn a national reputation. In 2003, with Dr. Britten’s help, the university opened a new $6 million aquatic therapy center for the chronically challenged that is unrivaled in the United States. After retiring from the university, Dr. Britten founded Western Independent Living Foundation, Inc.

About S.R.Smith: Since 1932, S.R.Smith has been a world leading manufacturer of commercial and residential swimming pool deck equipment. The company’s products are featured on some of the finest pools in the world. S.R.Smith’s comprehensive lie of ADA compliant pool lifts provides disabled people safe access to aquatic activities. S.R.Smith is headquartered in Canby, OR with additional manufacturing in Portland, TN.
For more information, visit:http://www.srsmith.com or www.poollifts.com

About the J John K. Williams, Jr. International Adapted Aquatics Award: Established in 1994 by ISHOF’s Adaptive Aquatics Committee, this award honors an individual who has made significant and substantial contributions to the field of adaptive aquatics (aquatics for persons with physical disabilities) as a participant, athlete, teacher, instructor, coach, organizer, administrator or media representative. For more information about the award: 
http://www.ishof.org/john-k.-williams,-jr.-international-adapted-aquatics-award.html

About ISHOF: The International Hall of Fame, founded in 1965, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is a not-for-profit educational organization. Its mission is to inspire everyone to be a swimmer by promoting the benefits and importance of swimming as a key to fitness, good health, quality of life, and the water safety of all adults and children. For more information about ISHOF, see
www.ishof.org For tickets or more information, call 954-462-6536

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