Stephen McIntosh
For this writer, this is a first, with interviews from two members of the same family swimming on the Drew Park Pool Sharks team. I am aware though this is not the only family with multiple members who become Sharks. You have already read that Jimmie Ruff had two children on the team; April and JR. There is at least one family; the Anderson’s, with 3 siblings (Gail, and twin brothers Ronald and Donald), and one family; the Harkness family, with 4 sons (Mark, Tim, Kip and George) who swam on the team. The names of other families with at least two members on the swim team included: Bolden, Brandyburg, Brown, Garrett, Guess, Kearse, Kohn, Strickland and Wiggins.
Stephen McIntosh joined his brother, Stanley, for swim lessons around the age of 9/10.They would be dropped off each morning by their mother at approximately 8:30 am each day for lessons which began at 9:00. They, like others, started in the “beginners” class. Swim lessons generally lasted approximately an hour where the focus by the instructors (lifeguards) was being comfortable putting your head under water, learning to float, learning to glide through the water and basic strokes. Following swimming lessons, the boys spent the remainder of the morning “swimming” until their mom would pick them up around noon. Something though was uniquely different about the McIntosh boys. It was apparent from the beginning, these two had a knack for swimming, and it seemed to not only come easy for them, but they learned quickly. So much so, by their second summer, they were already in the intermediate class and the instructors were utilizing them to help with teaching the very large beginner classes at Drew pool. Generally, from the beginner class, one moved to advanced beginner, followed by the intermediate class. As a member of the intermediate swim class the boys focused on refining strokes.
Stephen was only thirteen months behind Stanley, as he was born in 1957. Unlike Stanley who was born in Germany while his father was serving in the military, Stephen was born at Fort Jackson.
As most others have noted, Stephen had praise for Thomas Martin as the driving force behind Drew Park, the swim team, the pool in general and for creating an atmosphere for success among African Americans during this period. Thomas was instrumental in promoting water safety and he established an avenue for young men and women to create opportunities which benefitted them throughout their lifetimes. One such opportunity was being employed as a lifeguard with the certification in water safety. At the age of 15, when Stanley was attending the water safety instructor class, Mr. Martin told Stephen to take the course as well. Mr. Martin told Stephen it would be a good experience for him even though he would take the class for a second time the following year. The next year Stephen passed the class and became a lifeguard, a position he held for three years during high school. Stephen had fond memories of his time as a member of the Sharks. During competitions, he swam the backstroke sometimes, but he was most known for being a strong freestyle competitor.
More so than anyone thus far, Stephen chose to share the daily routine of the lifeguards at Drew Park pool. The lifeguards generally worked the entire summer, and even began working during the final week of the school year preparing the pool for opening day of the summer. The pool was open all seven days of the week. There were three lifeguard chairs at the pool. Two chairs were located nearer the middle of the pool where both the shallow and middle depth could be observed, and one chair in the deep end near the diving boards and the platforms. As noted previously, the shallow end was approximately three feet deep, the middle section five or six feet deep and the deep end was twelve feet deep. Two lifeguards worked in half hour shifts while one would be on break. Following the break, lifeguards would rotate chairs. Stephen recalled swim practice often occurred over the lunch time for the pool. On Monday through Friday the first shift of lifeguards ended around 2:30/3:00 pm, and the second shift of lifeguards began and worked until approximately 8:00 pm. Stephen indicated they generally left the pool around 8:30 pm if they had worked the afternoon shift. In addition to the six full time lifeguards employed each summer to monitor the swimmers, a seventh lifeguard was responsible for maintaining the pool and was called the pool engineer. Saturday’s work began with the cleaning of the pool. The morning shift lifeguards would begin in the shallow end with brooms to sweep any debris from the shallow end into the deep end of the pool. Once reaching the deep end, they would utilize vacuums powered by a generator to remove the debris. The pool had two huge filters in the deepest end of the pool near the diving boards, which were used for filtration. Sundays at Drew Park were the busiest days. The pool opened later in the day, around noon, generally following church time. All six lifeguards worked on Sundays with all three lifeguard chairs occupied and one additional lifeguard walking the pool deck in the shallow end. Again, there’s been previous remarks about the Sundays at Drew Park. The park was like vacation time for many African Americans from communities near and far. Spots would be claimed on the bleachers and towels laid out, for plans to spend the entire day.
In reflection, Stephen said being a Shark made him so proud. He said he didn’t really appreciate the experience and its significance to him until later in life. After all, he had become a proficient, skilled swimmer and had obtained a job as a lifeguard, which was both well-paying and just a great job period. Stephen said it made him proud to be known by so many, as he interacted with a huge number of the areas’ citizens.
Following high school graduation, Stephen attended South Carolina State University. Stephen was academically driven and he had plans for his future. Those plans did not allow room for swimming. He had a number of conversations with his brother, Stanley, who had enrolled a year earlier and was a member of the swim team. They both agreed the time needed to be a member of the swim team was going to be more consuming than Stephen preferred to spend. He majored in Political Science with an emphasis on Pre-Law. Upon graduation, Stephen entered The Ohio State University School of Law. After receiving his law degree, he practiced law in the city prosecutor’s office and later became chief prosecutor in Columbus, Ohio. As of this writing, Stephen has completed nineteen years as a Judge in the Common Pleas Court dealing with both felonies and civil cases from rape and murder to lawsuits over wrongful deaths and contract disputes. Stephen and his wife have three children and each learned to swim. Two have served as lifeguards, like their father. This writer will note, that one of Stephen’s sons graduated from Ohio University, the alma mater of this writer. (Go Bobcats!)
Tony Thomas
This writer thinks he was becoming somewhat complacent, and wasn’t convinced he would hear a great deal of new material, unlike others previously. He was definitely proven wrong by Tony Thomas. This writer continues to be astounded at the lives of the Drew Park Sharks. They have far exceeded all expectations and continue to be fascinating stories. Born in Columbia in 1952 to a father stationed at Fort Jackson and a mother who served as a clerk, Tony lived in the Greenview community. Greenview was the first community planned in conjunction by the city of Columbia and Fort Jackson, as a Black soldiers’ community. Fort Jackson was the number one training base in the United States. As a young boy, Tony saw Bruce Lee on the big screen and from that moment on, he became an ardent fan, to say the least, of karate. This writer will not detail Tony’s lifetime love of karate at this point, but you will soon discover just how impactful Bruce Lee became to him.
Tony started swimming at Drew pool around the ages of 13 – 15. As his mother worked, she was able to drop him off on occasion. Tony relayed the city busses did not go to Harden Street, near Drew Park, so on many days he and a small group of his friends would “thumb” their way to the pool. He indicated it was not unusual that a man or woman driving alone in their car, might pick up the small group and give them a ride. The group would generally get a ride from Greenview to Beltline Blvd, and they would thumb an additional ride to Harden Street. There were days Tony and his friends walked to Drew pool. When it was time to return home, they used the method that seemed to work getting them to the pool, their “thumbs”. Their small group included both boys and girls, all young teens.
Tony, like Ellis Pearson, was a self-taught swimmer. He had the unique ability to watch others swim and learned by mimicking what he had seen. He used the same technique for learning to dive. Drew pool had four diving boards. Two of the springboards were 1-meter boards and two were 3-meter boards. As you the reader will quickly learn, diving became Tony’s passport for his future travels. Tony was a competitor for the Sharks and his favorite stroke was the breaststroke. In addition, he swam distances including the 500 and 1000. Though not included as an event in any Drew Park Sharks’ competitive swim meet, Tony loved diving. He learned from some of the best in his opinion at Drew, including James “Tadpole” Wiggins, Howard “Porky” Simmons, and Delano “Domino” Boulware. It appeared everyone had a nickname. Tony’s was “Huck” though he said few people called him by that name. As this writer was with Tony, he called “Domino” with a question and called him “Domino” on the phone. It certainly appears nicknames have a way of sticking with you forever. Getting back to diving, this writer is talking some serious diving. This was just not going to the end of the board and performing a beautiful swan dive. We’re talking a 1 and ½ flip in either the tuck or pike position. We’re talking about a 2 and ½ in the tuck or pike position. Tony would do a 1 and ½ with a full twist or the reverse dive, commonly called a “gainer”. In diving, a “gainer”, is a backward somersault while moving forward, rather than backward, off a springboard or platform. Basically, you walk to the end of the board, spring up and do a backwards flip toward the board from which you just sprang. As the reader can clearly see, Tony had an array of competitive dives which he routinely performed, Tony did share that in the beginning of his learning to dive, he wore a tee shirt, as the water had a tendency to sting if the dive was not performed correctly.
While still in high school (1969), the Greenview community opened a 25-meter swimming pool. Tony, then 16, swam at both the Drew Park and Greenview pools. He shared he believed Drew Park actually had had two pools prior to the opening of the Drew Park Wellness Center. He thinks the first Drew Park pool was aligned in the north/south fashion, while the second pool, upon renovation was aligned east/west in the park. This writer learned a second pool was built following the demolishing of the original pool. This occurred in the late 1980’s and the pool was less than half the size of the original pool. As most others have shared, Drew Park was an outstanding facility for African Americans throughout the community and the area. Tony indicated it was not unusual for the pool to have 900 - 1000 “swimmers” on any given Sunday. The word “swimmers” is in quotations because Tony indicated many pool participants were unable to swim. Tony, like many of his Shark friends, became a lifeguard. He actually began as a Jr. lifeguard prior to becoming a certified lifeguard. He earned his senior life saving certificate his senior year of high school and began working as a lifeguard at Drew pool. Like several of his peers, Tony was water safety instructor certified which allowed him to teach lifeguards. The pool at Drew Park was closed for 2-3 hour on the days of competition and opened later, though in earlier years, it closed the entire day of Saturday meets. There was just no way to hold a swim meet with the regular attendance the pool experienced on any given day. While some Sharks noted they played football in high school, Tony was a member of his high school track team. He was primarily a distance runner (the mile and the half mile) and a high jumper; but he also ran the 180-yard low hurdles and finished third in the State track meet in that event.
It should come as no surprise to anyone, that upon graduation from high school, Tony was awarded a four- year scholarship to South Carolina State University where he was both a swimmer and diver. Tony was the first Drew Park Shark and Greenview Park swimmer to earn a diving scholarship and dive competitively at the college level. He was a member of the swim team all four years. As a diver, Tony qualified for the Nationals three out of the four years he was at South Carolina State University, based upon his diving scores. He could have competed nationally if he had wanted to do so, but he chose not to compete at that level for personal reasons, and settled for comparing his diving scores, from his meets, to those set nationally. In 2021 Tony was inducted into the South Carolina State University Athlete Hall of Fame.
Early on the reader learned about Tony’s interest in karate after seeing Bruce Lee in the “Green Hornet”. Tony identified with Bruce Lee as he was smaller, like Tony. At Fairwall Junior High School where Tony attended, his PE teacher sponsored after school activities to give students things to do. Tony’s friends were also interested in karate as well and the group bought books and practiced karate moves. Tony’s English teacher had a black belt in judo which he had earned while being stationed in Korea during the war. Tony and his friends began earning belts from the lessons he gave and he continued through high school working out 3 or 4 times a week. By the time Tony completed high school he had earned his brown belt.
While a freshman at South Carolina State University, Tony met another first-year student, Herman Shepard, from Charleston who, like him, was a brown belt in karate. Tony had been involved in karate for most of his early years. The two began working out together and increasingly, other students watched the two of them with growing interest. They started the Bulldog Karate Club which became the largest student organization at South Carolina State University. Tony earned his black belt in karate in 1971. Still a college student, Tony competed in karate meets throughout the Southeast. In 1973, at a meet being held in Charleston, SC, Tony fought Bill Wallace, the number one fighter in the United States. Bill Wallace later went on to become the bodyguard for Elvis Presley. Tony estimates the Bulldog Karate Club taught 300 students while at South Carolina State University.
Tony graduated with a degree in education. He taught physical education for the next thirty-nine years, mostly in District 1 in Columbia, with the exception of a two-year stint in Newberry. He often had demonstrations for his elementary aged students by the Karate Club members. During the summer months, Tony continued to work at the Drew pool where he served as Assistant Manager. He supervised lifeguards monitoring rotations, the basket room and counting money for bank deposits. The cost to swim was around fifty cents unless you were very young, and then it was twenty-five cents. Tony continued competing in tournaments while a teacher, and in 1997 he opened the Tony Thomas Karate School in Columbia. He has been in business in Columbia for the past 29 years and at his current location for 19 of those years. The walls of his karate studio are filled with photographs of former students from their early beginnings. He said that many have grown and have returned with their children to learn, and that many earned their black belts under him. In all, Tony estimates he has taught over 15,000 students. He has been inducted into several Karate Halls of Fame during his 59 total years of karate. He is a 10th degree Black Belt. Tony met his wife at a karate competition and, she has a blackbelt in karate. Tony said he had not taught her every trick he knows!
Delano “Domino” Boulware
From the outset, there has been a great deal of sharing about the lifeguard experience, particularly as it related to being a well-paying job. But until now, no one has given the lifeguards the respect duly deserved for the behaviors they exhibited. Each lifeguard was a role model to the young swimmers at Drew Park pool and demanded high standards of behavior in return. The lifeguards were loyal to the young boys and girls and exhibited the highest personal qualities of compassion, caring, and support so valuable to their growth. Their personal responsibility far exceeded saving a life, though in reality, they saved lives long after the children were out of the water. When Delano Boulware jumped off the diving board, unable to swim, lifeguard James Evans or “Foxy” as he was called, rescued him. When the two reached the safety of the pool deck, James asked Delano his name. The response was Delano Boulware, to which James responded, “I’m not going to be able to remember that. I’ll just call you “Domino” and Domino, I expect to see you here Monday morning at 9:00 am, when I’m going to teach you to swim”. The nickname “Domino” from “Foxy” remains today. Domino was either 8 or 9 years old that day. On one other occasion when the Sharks were going to Jacksonville, Florida for a swim competition, Domino had taken his seat on the bus, when he was informed by one of the chaperones, he would have to vacate his seat for another swimmer, who had paid late to go to the competition. Even among the Black community, Domino said there were the “haves and the have nots” (Saxon Homes “projects” vs home owners). Domino did not have the funds to pay to go to Jacksonville, so the lifeguards had pooled their money to pay his way to Jacksonville. As Domino began to leave, giving up his seat on the bus, the lifeguards stepped forward and addressed the chaperone. They politely informed him, that if Domino didn’t go to Jacksonville, none of them would go as well. Domino was informed to return to his seat and he was allowed to go. In a later article written about the trip to Jacksonville, Domino’s name was mistakenly omitted. Foxy remained a mentor and a role model for him. The lifeguards at Drew pool impacted in a positive manner daily. They made sure the young boys knew how to read, solve math problems and to be honest. They could hand out discipline if it was needed and truly “rescued” the boys for a fulfilling life. For entry into the Drew Park pool, swimmers received a hand stamp indicating they had paid their entry fee. It did not take individuals long to learn with a little water they could transfer the ink stamp from one hand to another. Even though the shared ink stamp was clearly detectable, lifeguards understood the financial difficulty many young boys and girls shared, so it was not unusual for the lifeguard collecting money at the gate to pretend they did not recognize the fake ink stamp and granted access to the pool to the individual. The lifeguards were just that sensitive to the burdens faced by individuals, and the overall positive outcomes of learning to swim and to having the opportunity to enjoy a fun day.
Delano “Domino” Boulware was born in 1950, He moved to Columbia from Ridgeway, SC when he was four. He had 2 brothers and 3 sisters and with his mom, the seven members of his family lived in Saxon Homes. Domino’s mom was a cook at the State Hospital raising her children alone. Domino is the second future Shark able to throw a rock from his house and hit the Drew Park pool. Raymond Ellis Pearson was the first, as you will recall. Once becoming a Shark, Domino practiced with the team each day from 7:00 am – 9:00 am; Noon to 2:00 pm; and 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm. The Sharks were a quality swim team, good competitors, and as individuals, generally kept out of trouble. Domino says that he now stands up for children due to how he was treated. In his first race he competed in the 55-yard freestyle, the 55-yard backstroke and the 55-yard breaststroke. Domino won the blue ribbon for each having finished first place in each event. The team was aware of the times for events completed by the swimmers at Maxcy Gregg. The times were published and the Sharks could easily compare their times. They knew they were a strong swim team.
Domino, like every other Shark, knew Mr. Martin was a visionary, and “ahead of his time” and the driving force behind Drew Park. Domino credits Mr. Martin for “making him the man he became”. He stated Mr. Martin did wonders for him. Under Mr. Martin, Domino was certified to be a swim instructor at the age of 16. Previously, Domino had served as a junior lifeguard for three years. Mr. Martin ran a tight ship with the lifeguards and a positive, safe and respectful environment at Drew Park. “Hard” guys were removed from Drew pool. Mr. Martin was hard core about quality. Lifeguards knew they could easily be replaced if they failed to show up for work, as the list to become a lifeguard far exceeded the number of positions available. Mr. Martin found them extra jobs. One job in particular he found for Domino was a three-week lifeguard stint at a lake in North Carolina. He also found him a job at a pool in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
Up to this point in the history of the Drew Park Sharks, the end of the summer competition had primarily been an inter-squad competition. In 1969, the Greenview community opened a pool and a swimming team was established. The competition grew to an all-Black city meet. At one city meet, “Steve” was coaching the Sharks. This writer doesn’t want to insinuate that Steve was competitive, but most who knew him would agree that he would take a loss personally. In one such meet, a female swimmer from Greenview, Domino’s future spouse, beat the young woman from the Sharks’ team. To this date, Steve has yet to award the woman her first-place trophy, and it bothers him still his swimmer lost the race. The reader has previously read about the Sunday lifeguard Water Show at Drew pool. Domino shared the event generally included a “ring of fire” performed by Carroll and Nick Thompson. The water show was truly an amazing event loved by the nearly 1000 attendees typically in attendance. Irmo would bus people in to the pool. Sadly, Nick Thompson was killed in a robbery and his brother, Carroll, was killed in Vietnam. Strange, one can be a fatality of war for his country, while his country won’t allow him to swim in a pool with his white comrades in arms. Domino also played baseball in the summer. One summer day, Domino had a swim meet and a baseball game schedule at the same time. Domino swam a couple of events, but when he needed to be at the ballpark, he left the pool. Over the loudspeaker Domino heard, “swimmers report to the starting block”. He missed that event due to the game. To this day, he’s surprised no action was taken toward him. The lessons Domino learned have remained ingrained in his mind these many years. The writer has already mentioned that Domino has always stood up for children due to the behavior shown him at Drew Park pool. He tells kids “you gotta’ get it wrong sometimes before you get it right” and that judges want you “on this side of the court” when he talks to them while giving tennis lessons. In 1975, Domino saw Arthur Ashe win a tennis match. He was inspired. He learned to play and for the past forty years, Domino has been teaching tennis at Greenview Park. In honor of Thomas Martin and Charles Bolden, he started the Bolden/Martin Tennis Camp for Math and Science. It is a free camp. Today, Domino is the tennis pro/instructor at Greenview Tennis Center. After high school Domino went to Benedict College. He had been asked by Coach Bradley to attend South Carolina State University. He left Benedict, following his first year. He spent six months in California but left rather quickly following a large earthquake. Looking for employment, Domino found two options. One was at the Columbia Corrections Institute (prison) but after walking the halls and having to go through so any locked doors, he determined that job probably didn’t suit him. His next job interview found him in behind the camera as a cameraman for television news. Mr. Rudolph Canzater was responsible for that interview. With no experience, he found himself at WNOK which later became WLTX. He became the Director for newscasts for the 6:00 am, noon, and evening news. He received a great deal of on-the- job training. He later worked for 29 years at ETV and spent eight years in Beaufort, South Carolina. Domino shared he once spent a week in the hometown of this writer, Zanesville, Ohio reporting on the school system there. That was genuinely an unexpected tale to hear.
Moses Hopkins
1934 – August, 2024
As shared by his children, Annette Hopkins McCoy and Anthony Hopkins
If you were to look up the word “athlete” in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, you might just see a photograph of Moses Hopkins. To the extent that most people have athletic talent in one sport, Moses Hopkins excelled in being a swimmer, a football player, a golfer, and a tennis player and a cliff diver in the Bahamas. He also enjoyed bowling and skating. This writer is guessing that was roller skating and not ice skating. This writer still owns his ice skates from his youth in Ohio. Born to a family of entrepreneurs, business owners, college graduates, educators and sports enthusiasts, Moses Hopkins lived an extraordinary life. Born in 1934, the family lived in the Waverly Community near Pine Street. He later moved to Allen Benedict Court prior to Saxon Homes being constructed. His final move was to Laurel Street where he lived most of his lifetime. His parents were both college graduates. His mother a graduate of Allen University and his father from Benedict College. His mom was 18 hours into a PhD program. She retired as an educator and Moses’ father retired as a state employee. They owned a restaurant called “Hops” Spaghetti House on Gervais Street. Moses’ nickname was “Hops” as well. Moses’ father was an athlete as well. As the story goes, while a child, and to teach Moses to swim, Moses’s father told him to “get out of the boat” on Lake Murray with instructions to swim back to shore. Having heard that tale, Moses’ mom was adamant that story would never be repeated, and she would see her son learn to swim in an appropriate manner. Moses attended Camp Atwater in Massachusetts at the age of 10 where he learned to swim. Camp Atwater, established in 1921, was the oldest Black-owned camp in the United States. He may well have attended Atwater with his best childhood and lifetime friend, Rupert Brown. Moses and Rupert were in each-others weddings and their moms shared a birthday.
Moses was one of the first to swim at Drew Park pool when it opened in 1950. He had moved to Allen Benedict Court which was within walking distance to the pool. Moses became one of the first lifeguards at the Drew Park pool. Moses swam the breaststroke and was nothing short of a phenom. There were trophies at Drew Park to prove his excellence. The breaststroke was not only his favorite stroke, but one he excelled in, and his time in the breaststroke was just 6 seconds off the world record.
The reader is well aware of Thomas Martin and his truly visionary role in the creation of Drew Park. As the director at Drew Park, Martin led the Sharks to multiple championships. A graduate of Johnson C. Smith University and the University of Michigan, Martin worked tirelessly to improve the physical education and health of young African Americans in segregated Columbia, founding a health and fitness program in the city’s elementary schools and acting as director of the Richland County Red Cross and the Columbia Area Mental Health and Community Center. Martin was born in 1911. He was 39 years old when the Drew Park pool opened. Moses Hopkins taught Thomas Martin to swim.
Annette reports Moses met his future wife in high school where they dated. Moses played football and Margret was a majorette. Moses taught her to swim. Like Moses, she was also certified in water safety, though she was not as fond of the water as Moses. After high school her mom stayed near her home and attended Allen University. She later taught physical education and dance. With a swimming scholarship in his hands, Moses went to South Carolina State University for his freshman year. After the first year of swimming at South Carolina State University, his swimming coach left for Fisk University wanting Moses to follow him there. Moses decided to attend and swim at Morehouse College. Still dating Margaret, Moses decided for his senior year, he would transfer to Allen University to be near her. Moses too, majored in physical education and taught physical education. Moses worked for the South Carolina Red Cross delivering blood. He was frequently called when a drowning occurred at Lake Murray to retrieve the body. He taught Red Cross training for the students at Allen University. He later worked for the Bethlehem Center managing youth recreation, and for the Columbia Housing Authority. Moses retired from the Department of Juvenile Justice, again managing the recreation program and he frequently took the youth to Drew pool for swimming.
Moses and Margaret were the parents of two children, Annette and Anthony. Unlike his father, Anthony stated he was nearly “afraid” of the water. Annette stated that once Anthony “fell into the water” and was seen rapidly “walking on the water” to escape. Even if swimming wasn’t Anthony’s sport, he enjoyed playing football and tennis. Anthony had seven children though sadly, one is deceased. He had twenty grandchildren. Moses taught his grandchildren to swim. Annette became Dr. Annette Hopkins McCoy, with a PhD in Management. She owns a business and is manager for a non-profit. She resides in the family home on Laurel Street today. Thomas Martin taught Annette to swim though she was never a lifeguard like her father. She indicated she liked the water and began swimming in elementary school. At the age of 16, Annette graduated high school with her heart set on attending The Ohio State University. With some gentle persuasion, Annette decided on Talladega College, an HBCU institution in Alabama. She met a man while in college and suggested to her mom she might transfer from her institution. Having been an active participant in a similar transfer situation as a college student, her mom strongly encouraged her not to do so. Annette repeated what has become common knowledge to the readers. Drew Park and the pool were iconic and one of the best features known in Columbia. Like so many others, Annette said one would rise in the morning, pack a lunch, and head to the pool for the entire day, staying even until dusk. She said everyone knew everyone. The pool was encircled with a huge fence and parents could stand outside and watch their children. It was simply a great set-up, she noted. There were separate entrances for boys and girls, and a community center, just down from the pool which offered after school programs, adult activities, and some have reported even attending kindergarten there. The infamous sprinklers were also outside the pool’s fence, which so many have praised. Amid all of this, was Moses Hopkins. Annette said “daddy was Drew Park”. She said the “worst thing to ever happen, was to tear down the Drew Park pool”. It had always been well maintained and clearly the best pool around. The 12-foot deep pool with the diving boards was virtually impossible to replace for the community. For this reason, you will understand why Stanley McIntosh so strongly supports the city developing an outstanding aquatic center for the city. Stanley, with the support of Moses Hopkins, were invaluable ambassadors to the sport of swimming, leading young competitors annually in the U.S. Youth Games across the United States. It has always been, and continues to be, Stanley’s dream for the city to have a complex that would rival any in the U.S. The reader will recall, Stanley first became aware of the existence of such programs and facilities his freshman year as a swimmer at South Carolina State University. At her father’s funeral service, Annette said she finally fully realized the value, the extent and the impact that Moses had made on others throughout his years and his service to the many people of Columbia. He genuinely was Drew Park.