At 86, Lifeguard Sets Milestone
Oldest Lifeguard In World Trained At Owasippe
WHEAT RIDGE
By Sabrina Henderson
Sentinel and Transcript Newspapers, Sept 26, 2002
Jefferson County YMCA lifeguard Haywood Stewart was shocked to receive recognition by Guinness Records
as the oldest lifeguard in the world Sept. 18. He has been a lifeguard since 1938 and is the oldest lifeguard on record at
age 86, outdoing the previous record holder by three years.
Nick Clayton, the Jeffco YMCA's aquatic director until May, started corresponding with Guinness Records in Scotland
about Stewart's eligibility in April. Clayton had to get copies of Stewart's birth certificate, his driver's license, copies
of all his lifeguard certifications and his most recent paystub. In all, Clayton said it took about eight pages of paperwork
and 12 to 15 hours of work to nominate Stewart for the record.
The Jeffco YMCA's new aquatic director, Joe Lachermeier, presented Stewart with a cake Sept. 18 with an icing replica
of the framed Guinness Record certificate.
"I was in line at King Soopers getting the cake, and the guy asked me if it was a practical joke," Lachermeier
said. "He actually still has his lifeguard cert from 1938. He does it all. He teaches [swimming to] newborns, the parents
and tots class, all the way up through senior citizens."
Clayton grew up in Chicago. He learned how to swim at Boys Club of America and because his grammar school, Carter
elementary, had a swimming pool. He first served as a lifeguard for the Boy Scouts at Owasippe Adventures in Michigan. He
then went to Tilden Tech High School in Chicago, where he also served as a lifeguard.
"They had guys on the swim team who could swim circles around me, so I was the lifeguard," Stewart said.
Being near the water was a natural thing for Stewart, leading to a lifetime of lifeguard service and an interest
in sailing and building sailboats. He worked as a high school woodshop teacher in Chicago and then for the parks and recreation
department before taking up lifeguard service full-time. He moved to Wheat Ridge about 10 years ago with his daughter, Donna
Stewart.
"This is fantastic. I am so surprised. I knew he belonged in the book for something, I just didn't know it would
be for this," she said.
Clayton said he's only had maybe two to four life-or-death situations during his lifeguard career.
"My theory is, I keep an eye on people. And if they start to look like they're not doing well, I pull them out,"
he said.
When asked how it feels to be the oldest lifeguard in the world, Stewart hunched over and tried to pretend he's
a feeble old man, laughing at himself. But at 86 years old, he's living proof that an active lifestyle, a love for what you
do, and a healthy sense of humor can really keep you going.
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