Harry Rawstrom

Education High school swimming Rawstrom was born in Montclair, New Jersey, on February 11, 1917, to Charles and Hilda Backland Rawstrom, and attended Montclair High School. He was unanimously elected team captain of the Montclair YMCA Varsity swim club for the 1934–35 season. In 1935, Rawstrom won the 220, 440 and 880-yard freestyle events in AAU competition swimming for the Montclair YMCA and was subsequently ranked as the best freestyle swimmer in New Jersey High School competition. With Rawstrom placing in the 220-yard freestyle and several relays while serving as team Captain, the Montclair YMCA Varsity Swim Club, coached by Dick Cheadle, won the New Jersey State YMCA Swimming Championship on March 16, 1935.

Springfield college He attended Springfield College in Massachusetts, where as a competitive swimmer, he broke records and earned collegiate All American honors in two successive years. At Springfield, he swam for Hall of Fame Coach Charles "Red" Silvia, who mentored many outstanding swimmers, who later became outstanding coaches.

Setting 220, 440-yard freestyle swim records

Swimming for Springfield, Rawstrom first set the New England record for the 220-yard freestyle at the trials of the New England Interscholastic Swimming Championships on March 11, 1938, with a record time of 2:19.2, which was considered an exceptional performance. During the Christmas Holidays in December 1938, he received additional swim training while attending the National Aquatic Forum in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

On January 11, 1939, Rawstrom broke his own New England Collegiate record for the 220-yard freestyle event with a time of 2:18.8. At the March, 1938 Eastern Collegiate Championships, Rawstrom won the 440-yard freestyle title with a time of 5:03.7, leading throughout the race, though Springfield once again lost the team competition to Harvard. In his Senior year, Rawstrom served as Captain for the Springfield team, and broke his New England record for the 220-yard event for the last time in February, 1940 with a time of 2:17.6. On March 15, 1940, he set a New England record of 5:01.8 in the 440-yard freestyle at the New England Intercollegiate Swimming Championships in Williamstown, Massachusetts.

He was a WWII era veteran of the Army Air Corp, where he attained the rank of Captain during his service.

Masters age-group swimmer Both at the end of his coaching career and after his retirement, Rawstrom was a dedicated age group swimmer and trained with the Middle Atlantic Masters and 1776 Masters Swim Clubs in the Delaware Valley region for United States Masters Swimming. In one of his best performances at the end of his coaching career, at 63 he won the 50, 100, 200, and 500-yard freestyle events at the Capital Sea Devils Meet in Washington D.C. He swam in his retirement most frequently from the ages of 60–74 and was a six-time USMS All-American swimmer, excelling and frequently making top ten lists in short-distance freestyle events, and freestyle and medley relays. An accomplished age group swimmer, Rawstrom set both national and world age-class records. Active with adult swimming into his final years, he served as the USMS Recognition and Awards Committee from 1989 to 1994, and made the University of Delaware pool available to US Master's Swimmers and US Master's swim meets.

In his retirement he attended Newark United Methodist Church with his wife Edna. He enjoyed bridge, university football games, gardening, traveling to Master's swim meets, and his quiet and scenic summer residence in Delaware's Bethany Beach.

Honors In 1971, prior to his coaching retirement, Rawstrom was honored by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) for 25 years of service. In 1982 he received the Captain Ransom J. Arthur Award for his contributions to United States Masters Swimming, and was inducted into the Delaware Sports Hall of Fame in 1987.