Tom Park

Tom Park, an inductee (Honor Swimmer) in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame

Tom Park (completing Catalina), an Honor Swimmer in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame

The 1958 Atlantic City Around the Island Swim participants included 1. Thomas Park (Canada) 11 hours 52 minutes 45 seconds, 2. Cliff Lumsdon (Canada) 12 hours 9 minutes 0 seconds, 3. Greta Andersen (USA) 12 hours 15 minutes 30 seconds, 4. Tonatiuh Gutiérrez Olguín (Mexico) 12 hours 41 minutes 15 seconds, 5. Helge Jensen (Denmark) 12 hours 47 minutes 5 seconds, 6. Don Sabath (USA) 13 hours 5 minutes 25 seconds, 7. Joanne Florentine (USA) 13 hours 14 minutes 0 seconds, 8. Gene Perle (USA) 13 hours 16 minutes 30 seconds, 9. Aloma Keen (Canada) 13 hours 59 minutes 45 seconds, 10. Paul Herron (USA) 14 hours 21 minutes 12 seconds, DNF: Steve Wozniak (USA), Alfred Goerke (USA), Christa Herbig (USA)

From left International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame Honor Swimmers Tom Park, Margaret Park and George Park in the last 1960s at the awards event after a race in Lac Simon

Photo from the Sam Rockett collection shows the swimmers of the 1956 Butlin's International Cross-Channel Swimming Race including 1 Jack McClelland (32 from Belfast), 2 Jack Cloutier (24) Canada, 3 Dogan Sahin (25 from Turkey), 4 Ronald Tarr (19 from London), 5 Clarence Conza (33 from New Zealand), 6 Ian Tirrell (33 from South Africa), 7 Erik Martin (53 from Sweden), 8 Jenny James (28 from Wales), 9 Maria Meesters (17 from Holland), 10 Baptista Pereira (35 from Portugal), 11 Margaret Sweeney (26 from New Zealand), 12 Greta Anderson (29 from Denmark), 13 Elizabeth Wild (22 from New Zealand), 14 Florence Burdett (27 from America), 15 Diana Cleverley (22 from New Zealand), 16 Brenda Fisher (28 from Grimsby), 17 Thomas Park (32 from California), 18 Harold Bracewell (47 from Blackpool), 19 Edward (Ned) Barnie (59 from Scotland), 20 Arthur Rizzo (28 from Malta), 21 Mohammed El Soussi (28 from Syria), 22 Fredrick Oldman (40 from Huddersfield). 23 Mihir Zen (27 from India), 24 Alfredos Camarero (25 from Argentina). Toufic Bleik (25 from Lebanon), Kurt Feilen (30 from Germany), John Healey (29 from Ireland), and Edna Borenstein (19 from Israel) are not included in the photo

Thomas Park was an dual citizen Canadian/American professional marathon swimmer from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He was born in Scotland

Swimming Highlights

• He won the 1958 Atlantic City Around the Island Swim in New Jersey.
• He qualified for the 1940 Olympics, but the Games were cancelled due to World War II.
• He was inducted in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in 1968 as an Honor Swimmer.
• He was a member of the World Professional Marathon Swimming Federation from 1944.
• He completed two Oceans Seven channels.
• On 2 July 1950 at the age of 26, he won the Block Island Swim, but he swam only 12 miles of the 15-mile course before judges ordered the race halted because of pea-soup fog. His time was 7 hours 9 minutes. He received US$1,000 for winning.
• He won the first 41.8 km (26-mile) Around-the-Island Marathon Swim around Absecon Island in Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA in 1954 in 9 hours 21 minutes 42 seconds.
• He crossed the 32.3 km Catalina Channel on 23 September 1954 from Catalina Island to the California mainland in 13 hours 25 minutes - setting a new speed record in that direction.
• In 1955, he won the 37 km Atlantic City Around The Island Swim in Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA in 9 hours 49 minutes 30 seconds.
• On 15 August 1955, he finished 2nd in the Billy Butlin Cross Channel International Swim from France to England in 12 hours 2 minutes.
• He crossed the 32.3 km Catalina Channel on 17 June 1956 from the California mainland to Catalina Island on 17 June 1956 in 9 hours 10 minutes - setting a new speed record for both directions.
• He won the 45 km (28-mile) Saguenay River swim in 1964 in 9 hours 18 minutes and several other professional marathon swims
• In 1956, he finished 2nd in the 37 km Atlantic City Around The Island Swim around Absecon Island in Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA in 9 hours 51 minutes. He finished second by two seconds to Canadian Cliff Lumsdon in the race.
• In 1957, he finished 2nd in the 37 km Atlantic City Around The Island Swim around Absecon Island in Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA in 12 hours 25 minutes.
• In 1958, he won the 37 km Atlantic City Around The Island Swim around Absecon Island in Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA in 11 hours 52 minutes 45 seconds.
• In 1959, he finished 2nd in the 37 km Atlantic City Around The Island Swim around Absecon Island in Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA in 11 hours 0 minutes 15 seconds.
• He and Lumsdon vied for the top spot at the 36 km (22.5-mile) Around-the-Island Marathon Swim in Atlantic City, USA for the rest of the 1950s, usually finishing within a few minutes of each other. While they were fierce competitors, Tom was Cliff's best man at this wedding.
• In 1960, he either tied for 2nd or finished 3rd in the 37 km Atlantic City Around The Island Swim around Absecon Island in Atlantic City, New Jersey in 10 hours 40 minutes 7 seconds.
• He competed in the 16 km (10-mile) Hamilton Marathon Swim in Ontario, Canada together with his brother George Park and sister Margaret Park Wisniski.
• On 5 August 1961, he finished 3rd in the Traversee Internationale du lac St-Jean in Quebec, Canada in 10 hours 33 minutes 17 seconds.
• On 4 August 1962, he finished 5th in the Traversee Internationale du lac St-Jean in Quebec, Canada in 10 hours 54 minutes 2 seconds.
• In 1962, he finished 3rd in the 37 km Atlantic City Around The Island Swim around Absecon Island in Atlantic City, New Jersey in 12 hours 1 minutes.

1955 Billy Butlin Cross Channel International Swim Results

The 1955 Billy Butlin Cross Channel International Swim was won by Egypt's Abdul Latif Abou Heif in 11 hours 44 minutes over America's Tom Park in 12 hours 2 minutes. The official results were as follows:

1. Abdul Latif Abou Heif (Egypt) 11:44
2. Tom Park (USA) 12:02
3. Syder Guiscardo (Argentina) 14:33
4. Damien Beltran (Mexico) 15:08

Family

Tom Park has a brother George Park and a sister Margaret Park who are also inducted in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame as Honour Swimmers in the Class of 1978 and Class of 2000 respectively.

External links

• The Best Open Water Swimmers from 1950 to 2020
• The Best Open Water Swimmers from 1950 to 2020
• The Best Open Water Swimmers of the 2010's
• The Best Open Water Swimmers of the 2000's
• The Best Open Water Swimmers of the 1990's
• The Best Open Water Swimmers of the 1980's
• The Best Open Water Swimmers of the 1970's
• The Best Open Water Swimmers of the 1960's
• The Best Open Water Swimmers of the 1950's
• Tonatiuh Gutiérrez Olguín, Gentleman, Scholar, Swimmer
• Remembering Pat Conway
• On her way to Block Island, Beisel followed in the wake of some remarkable female marathon swimmers
• Around And Around They Go In Atlantic City
• Edna Borenstein In The Channel
• When Canadians Dominated Atlantic City
• Margaret Park Goes Down Memory Lane On WOWSA Live
• Herman Willemse Describes How Swimming Changed His Life On WOWSA Live
• Marilyn Bell Recalls Her Remarkable Teenage Years On WOWSA Live
• Carlos Larriera Remembers Pro Marathon Racing On WOWSA Live
• International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame website
• Catalina Channel Swimming Federation
• Karl Munce Resurfaces
• World Open Water Swimming Association
• WPMSF Led To IMSHOF
• Channel Twenty-One
• Three Is A Charm With The Park Family
• George Park Joins Siblings Tom, Sister In Hall Of Fame
• English Channel Races Of The 1970s
• Long Overdue Recognition For George Park
• Greta Andersen To Receive Lifetime Achievement Award
• Catalina Channel Swimming Federation
• Swimming Across The Channel On Warm Orange Juice
• The Resurgence Of Catalina Channel Crossings
• Marathon Swimming
• Open Water Swimming
• World Open Water Swimming Association
• Lynne Cox Surviving And Thriving Over The Test Of Time
• 46th Annual Seal Beach Rough Water Swim
• History Returns: Jim Whelan Open Water Festival
• Marathon Swimmers Federation bio
• Around The Island In New Jersey With David Weinberg