Allen Harvey, one of Canadaâs highly respected international swimming volunteers passed away on Tuesday, October 26, of complications arising from cancer surgery. Allen had been a successful engineer in Richmond and Vancouver. He began his interest in swimming in the mid-1950âs when his children were competing for the Vancouver Amateur Swimming Club. He was the VASC club president from 1958 to 1961. He served as President of the B.C. Section of the CASA from 1960 to 1963, then moved up to become President of the C.A.S.A from 1963 to 1965. He was also a member of many swimming committees in Canada (e.g.Team Selection and International Competition).

Mr. Harvey became a FINA Technical Committee Member in 1975, an international position he held until 1986. He was a member of the CASA Olympic Committee for the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, and he was a member of the FINA Bureau from 1980 until his retirement in 1988. The last four years on this Bureau he was the Honorary Secretary, only the second time a Canadian has held this exemplary position.

Allen managed the Canadian Swim Team at the 1966 Commonwealth Games in Jamaica, one of Canadaâs early successful international competitions. He also served as the Aquatic Federation of Canada delegate to the A.S.U.A. Congress at the Pan American Games in Cali, Colombia in 1971, and again in Mexico City in 1975. He was the President of the A.S.U.A. from 1975 to 1983, the first Canadian to be elected to that position.

He was the AFC delegate to the FINA Congress at the Olympics in Munch (1972), Montreal (1976), and Moscow (1980). On the officials side, Allen was a technical deck official at the 1971 Pan Am Games, 1974 Commonwealth Games, 1975 World Championships, 1975 Pan American Games, 1976 Olympic Games, and the 1979 Pan Am Games. He was the Chef de Mission of the Canadian Aquatic Team at the first World Championships in Belgrade in 1973, and the Assistant Chef de Mission for the World Championships in Cali in 1975.

He was a member of the Aquatic Hall of Fame of Canada, and was recently inducted into Swim B.C.'s Hall of Fame.

Allen Harvey was a very active volunteerâ administrator during his career in swimming contributing to the development of the sport in Canada over a thirty-year span.

Canadian swimming was represented exceptionally well by the efforts of this man, and an appreciation of his accomplishments must be preserved. Our sincere condolences go to his family and friends, and to the many athletes who remember his kindness and fairness to them.