LeRoy
Colombo
“World’s Greatest
Lifeguard”
Early Life
• Born December 23, 1905 in Galveston,
Texas
• Age 7, spinal meningitisleft his legs paralyzed
• How did brothers, Cinto & Nick, help
LeRoy?
• LeRoy regained all his strength
Education
• Age 8, went to public
school-frustrated
there
• Age 10, Texas School
for the Deaf in Austin
• Became skilled
swimmer in school’s
pool
• Age 16, 1921, left
school…. Why?
(death of father)
Young Adult Years
• Age 18,(1923) Surf Toboggan
Club 1st Deaf member (he had
to swim continuously for 3
hours-no floating)
• 1923 became a Life Guard for
the City of Galveston
• 1924: Competed against
Herbert Bernau, Jr., the
Amateur Athletic Union’s
national endurance champion,
& beat him
• Labor Day, 1925, (Age 20)
Rematch (10 mile race), he beat
Herbert again by 1 mile
• New record for the race, 6
hours 55 minutes
How Would LeRoy Fare Against
Michael Phelps?
• 1926, competed in a 10 mile
race in the Mississippi River &
dislocated his shoulder in the
8th mile, continued swimming
with 1 arm and finished the
race
• 1927-Labor Day Race- LeRoy
& Cinto got 1st & 2nd place in a
15 mile marathon (age 22)
They were the only ones to finish
out of 6 entrants-why?
LeRoy was timed at 11 hours 30
minutes, beating Cinto by 31/2
hours
• Age 23, 1928-swam 30 miles
in 16 hours 24 minutes
• 1929-1939- won all long
distance races in the Gulf of
Mexico
Why is LeRoy Colombo Famous?
• Rescued his 1st victim
when he was 12
• During his 40 years as a
Life Guard, he saved 907
lives (Guinness World
Record)
• How brave was he?
• Forced to retire at age 62
b/c of a heart condition
• He still swam a mile a day
up until a a few weeks
before he died
• Died on July 12, 1974- age
69
Honored for His Heroism
“In Memory of Leroy
Colombo
Dec 23, 1905- July 12,
1974
A Deaf-Mute who risked
his own life repeatedly
to save more than a
thousand lives from
drowning in the waters
surrounding Galveston
Island.”
“Plaque dedicated Nov 1974 By
the Noon Optimist Club and the
City of Galveston Texas”
Can a Deaf Person Be a Good
Lifeguard ????