Northampton names natatorium in honor of former swim coach Gwen Whildin

Those who knew her have made sure that Gwen L. Whildin will never be forgotten.The former head swim coach at Northampton for 25 years, Whildin, who died this year, was honored by the Northampton School Board Monday by having her name forever associated with the district’s swimming program.The board voted unanimously to dedicate the district’s natatorium at Northampton Middle School after her, officially designating it as the Gwen L. Whildin Natatorium.The district will conduct a naming ceremony at the pool Dec. 12 to finalize the dedication, Superintendent Joe Kovalchik said.“She gave her life to the Northampton Area School District and the swim program in particular,” he said.Whildin, who died Jan 21 at the age of 66 at her home in Pompano Beach, Florida, due to complications from diabetes and chronic kidney disease, retired in 2012 after serving 32 years as a health and physical education teacher at Northampton High, but continued coaching through 2016.She compiled an overall record of 379-228-5 in both the boys and girls programs, and was inducted into the Northampton High School Athlete Hall of Fame in 2010.Scott Miller, a 2001 graduate of Northampton High School and one of Whildin’s former athletes, said he wouldn’t be who he is today were it not for her influence and guidance.“Work ethic and dedication to work,” was instilled to him by Whildin said Miller, who created an online petition that gathered more than 3,090 signatures as of early Monday night in support of the district naming the natatorium after her.Now the manager of D&J Sports, a competitive swim store in Coopersburg, Miller presented Kovalchik with a portrait of his former coach, the guiding force behind 72 state finalists and 18 state championships, on behalf of Whildin’s sister Sara.His mother, Nancy Miller, who served as a volunteer under Whildin for more than 20 years, said the coach’s influence on her student-athletes went far beyond swimming.“They were a team outside the water; I will always be grateful for the discipline she put into my kids,” she said.Whildin, she said, scared her at first.“She was big, she was loud, you could hear her from miles away, but the kids loved her,” Miller said.Whildin guided the boys swim team to a PIAA state championship in 1993 and coached 8 Mountain Valley Conference championship teams. She also coached the KIDS US Swim Club.Kevin Duffy is a freelance writer for The Morning Call.
Source: Morningcall