Walter Colbath

1928 Amsterdam Olympics

During his Junior year at Northwestern, he competed in the men's 10 metre platform event at the 1928 Summer Olympics where he placed fourth in Platform Diving. Americans Pete Desjardins took the gold, and Micky Galitzen took bronze. Colbath's stocky, muscular build and six foot height was unusual for a young competitive diver during his era.

Colbath married Vesta Swenson, a Northwestern graduate, and member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority on June 16, 1932, in Evanston, Illinois at her home on Lincoln Street. Colbath was working as the radio character Lilac with station WGN at the time. He continued to serve with the U.S. Navy in the Pacific, and eventually earned the rank of Lieutenant Commander.

After WWII, Colbath served in industry, beginning with Ryerson Steel and then worked for the Chicago Steel Service. He later started his own company in Riviera Beach, Florida, which provided a large percentage of the steel used in the development of the Bahamas. He lived in Palm Beach, Florida after 1958 only six miles from his steel company in Riviera Beach.

He died on March 24, 1986, at a Palm Beach Gardens Nursing Home and was buried in Saint Mark's Episcopal Church Columbarium. He was survived by his wife Vesta, a son, Walter Jr. who became a Judge, three grandchildren and a sister.

Honors He was inducted into the Northwestern University Athletic Hall of Fame in May 1986.