Alan Alexander Switzer, Jr. died May 4, 2020, in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Al was born in New Rochelle, New York on April 24, 1930, to Alan Alexander Switzer, Sr. and Carolyn Ruth Davis Switzer. He graduated from Winchester High School (MA) in 1948 where he was a standout in athletics.

He graduated with an A.B. from Harvard University in 1952, where he also starred on the varsity baseball team. Upon graduation, Al served in the army in the Korean War. In 1954, following his military service, he earned his Ed.M. from Harvard and married Polly Shepardson of Wellesley (MA).

Al began his career in education in 1955 at Hebron Academy (ME). He moved to The Hill School in Pottstown (PA) in 1962, where he continued classroom teaching, served as an assistant on the football and baseball fields, and led the swim team.

The University of Maine at Orono selected Al to launch their swimming program in 1971. His dedication to his athletes and high expectations of them soon elevated the Black Bears to prominence. In 1976, in just their fifth season, his squad captured their first New England Championship. They won a second in 1978. As a result of his tireless recruiting and rigorous training of his swimmers, Black Bear teams under Al were highly competitive for two decades. In 1990, he resigned from UMaine and moved to Center Sandwich (NH) with his wife Betsy (Husson). Al returned to the pool deck at Plymouth State University (NH), where he led the Panther women’s swimming and diving squad and taught aquatics classes until 2018.

Moving to Colorado Springs this past December, Al was welcomed by the Air Force Academy where he participated as a mentor and friend of the swimming program. He felt privileged to be able to impart wisdom from his coaching career.

Al’s greatest passion beyond his family was Sandwich Aquatic School, his summer swimming instruction business. For more than 50 years, he and his devoted instructors gave thousands of children the confidence to enjoy and be safe in the water. He taught life lessons that influenced three generations of swimmers far beyond his pool.

Al was inducted into the UMaine Sports Hall of Fame, the Hebron Athletic Hall of Fame, and the Maine State Swimming and Diving Hall of Fame. He received the Charles Batterman Award as New England Women’s Diving Coach of the Year on multiple occasions, and in 2014, he received the New Hampshire Union LeaderWalter A. Smith Award for Coaches.

Al was predeceased by his parents and wives, Polly (d. 1979) and Betsy (d. 2018). He is survived by six children – Joy Hazelwood (Bob) of Hartland, WI; Derek Husson (Susan) of Lisbon, ME; Gretchen Hucks (Lawrence Holland) of Mercer Island, WA; Debi Husson of China, ME; Jeff Switzer (Terry) of Colorado Springs; and Alan “Trip” Switzer (Ann) of Seattle. He also leaves two younger sisters: Nancy Foss of Bennington, VT and Carolyn MacKay of Paducah, KY. Seven grandchildren, one great-granddaughter and many nieces, nephews and friends will miss him deeply as well.   Al will be laid to rest in Center Sandwich. In lieu of flowers or cards of condolence, please consider a gift in his memory to one of the educational institutions noted previously.