Hal Henning

Early swimming and coaching Harold W. Henning was born in 1919, in Lockport, New York, to Harold Henning Sr and his wife. In high school, as an all-round athlete he participated in track, football and basketball, and excelled as a YMCA swimmer. As only a freshman at North Central in January 1938, he set a new conference record of 1:06.4 for the 100-yard backstroke, as well as winning the 50-yard freestyle and swimming on a winning medley relay team.

As a college senior at the March 1941 Illinois Conference Championships, he set records in both the 50-freestyle and 100-yard breaststroke events to lead North Central College to a first place in the team competition. Henning also swam for Chicago's Lake Shore Athletic Club, capturing two firsts and a second in short freestyle and backstroke events at the Midwest Swimming Meet in August 1939 in Moline, to tie as the meet's high scorer.

During his years in the military from October 1942 – 1945, he served as an instructor in Naval Aquatics Warfare. When his military service ended, he was instrumental in developing the education program for Red Cross swimming. At Red Cross, he worked with Katherine Whitney Curtis, a Red Cross physical education instructor and executive, the founder of synchronized swimming.

Swimming administrator As a head of the American Amateur Athletic Union's Swimming Committee in the early 1960s, he pushed to start a Swimming Hall of Fame, and as a member of the FINA (The International Swimming Federation for International Competition) Bureau, gained support to recognize and sponsor the Hall by FINA. He served as the US Men's Olympic Swim Team manager for 1956, and later managed the U.S. Team at the Tokyo Olympics in 1964. Significantly, he was chairman of the U.S. Men's Olympic Swimming Committee from 1959 to 1965, and was first elected to the International Swimming Federation in 1964. After several years on the board, he served as president of the International Swimming Federation, from 1972 through 1976, a group that both protects and manages swimming, diving and water polo, throughout the world. This is the same organization known as FINA (Federation Internationale de Natation Amateur), for which he was both Secretary and became the first U.S-born President. She participated in diving, swimming and water ballet during her life. She helped establish the Harold W. Henning scholarship for pre-med or pre-dental students, and the Henning Library at the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

Honors Henning was selected as one of the 100 Greatest Coaches of the Century by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America. For his advocacy of athletics and swimming, he received a Distinguished Alumni Award from his alma mater North Central College in November 1963. He was later admitted to the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1979 as an Honor Contributor.