Events:

Bill George

Former KCRA assignment editor Bill George will share inside stories from his new book at the next Valley Broadcast Legends luncheon, June 13 at Aviator’s restaurant. Victory in the Pool chronicles the achievements of the swimmers of Arden Hills who won 20 Olympic gold medals in the 1968, 1972 and 1984 Olympic Games.

The team was guided by the legendary Sherm Chavoor, and Bill will reveal how Sherm worked with the media to project the Arden Hills story worldwide. Debbie Meyer, Mark Spitz and Mike Burton were among the most famous athletes in the world, and it was Chavoor’s PR skills that helped turn them into celebrities. Bill will present previously unpublished photos and talk about Chavoor and Arden Hills’ legacy.

Our own Kristine Hanson says, “Bill George made a huge splash with this book! I jumped in and never stopped swimming through the pages. As a Sacramento sportscaster I knew and was a neighbor of Sherm Chavoor. I covered his many accomplishments, knew people that worked for him, and knew the respect the athletes had for this man. But, I never knew the whole story until now. I’m even more in awe of the drive and vision one man can have on people and history! Bill George brought this to life in this page turner about the modern history of swimming in this country.”

Bill’s publisher describes Victory in the Pool as, “The ultimate underdog story of a swim coach who could not swim, a swim club that accepted minorities when others would not, and a group of young swimmers who became Olympic champions.”

KBill is president and executive producer of Nimbus Films and Books. He has written and produced seven award-winning documentary films about California history for PBS and is the author of Rails, Trails and Tales. Bill has more that forty years’ experience in journalism, government public affairs, and corporate marketing. He was an award-winning television and radio journalist who covered the World Series, the Super Bowl, and NFL and MLB playoffs for CNN and ESPN. Oh, yes—he also recently volunteered to be VBL’s treasurer.

Normally Victory in the Pool retails at $36, but Bill will be making them available for sale and signing at a discount price of $30 at our meeting.