Almost 20 years ago, Alan A. Switzer Jr. arrived at the University of Maine at Orono to establish the university’s first and only men’s swimming program. Last week, under the university’s budget pressures aimed at eliminating the entire program, Alan Switzer took early retirement as a means to save his program and the future of Maine swimming.

The quality of the UMO men’s swimming program can only be measured by the man who has directed it for so many years. His enthusiasm, energy, and competitive spirit have had a lasting impression on those who he has come in contact with. He has coached his teams to several New England swimming and diving championships, produced a number of All-Americans, and has consistently been competitive in the Eastern Seaboard Conference despite a lack of scholarship money.

However, the real legacy that Alan Switzer will leave behind is the impact he had on the growth of other Maine swimming programs from the YMCA swimming programs on up through the statewide high school swimming programs. He has inspired a higher level of quality in these programs and established swimming as a competitive, as well as popular sport in Maine.

Those student swimmers who have had the opportunity to swim under Alan Switzer understand his dedication and commitment to swimming and education. They understand the lasting impression he has had on them as a coach, a mentor, and a friend.

I would only hope that as a lasting gesture to Alan Switzer, the university would take a closer look at ensuring the continued future of the Maine swimming program and those students who have greatly benefited from its existence.

I am proud of Alan Switzer’s accomplishments at the University of Maine and the graceful manner in which he has handled the turmoil of the last few weeks, however, those attributes pale in comparison to how proud I am to be his son. Jeffrey A. Switzer New Hampton, N.H. UMO Class of 1984