My book “Victory in the Pool” created a nostalgic moment, and we captured it on video. One of the book’s main characters is Sherm Chavoor, who coached his Arden Hills swim team to 20 Olympic Gold medals. His most famous swimmers were Debbie Meyer, Mark Spitz, Mike Burton, Jeff Float, and Sue Pedersen. Before he reached Olympic glory, he coached at Sacramento YMCA in the 1940s. Tak Iseri was his first great swimmer, a Japanese American kid just out of the internment camps.
Tak became an AAU champion, Pacific Coast champion, and captain of Cal’s swim team. Time went on, and Tak became a pharmacist and raised a family. Chavoor went on to worldwide fame. Tak’s story vanished. Recently Debbie Meyer and Jeff Float met Tak and his family for the first time. They draped him in their gold medals and Tak’s contributions to Arden Hill’s success was recognized!
Swimmer recognized – Photo courtesy of Sac Bee. https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article273507465.html