Carnegie Library of Homestead Swim Team
Munhall, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Carnegie Library opened here 1898. Host to athletic club that included world-renowned swimmers. Coached by Jack Scarry, Olympic medal winners were Susan Laird & Jo McKim, 1928, & Lenore Kight Wingard, 1932 & 1936. Anna Mae Gorman competed in 1932.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
The Carnegie Library of Homestead, opened in 1898, was more than a reading room â it housed an athletic club whose pool produced world-class swimmers. Under coach Jack Scarry, the team sent athletes to the Olympic Games, where Susan Laird and Jo McKim medaled in 1928 and Lenore Kight Wingard won honors in 1932 and 1936, with Anna Mae Gorman competing in 1932. In a steel town, the library's pool became an unlikely cradle of champions.
Why it matters
The Homestead swimmers, several of them women competing on the world stage, show how Andrew Carnegie's libraries doubled as community centers that opened doors to opportunity for working-class Americans.
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Related people
- ¡ Jack Scarry
- ¡ Susan Laird
- ¡ Jo McKim
- ¡ Lenore Kight Wingard
- ¡ Anna Mae Gorman
Related events
- ¡ 1928 Olympics
- ¡ 1932 Olympics
- ¡ 1936 Olympics
Themes & tags
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