Capt. Ransom J. Arthur M.D. Award
| Recipient: | Anna Lea Matysek |
| Year: | 2022 |
| LMSC: | Florida |
Anna Lea Matysek received the Capt. Ransom J. Arthur M.D. Award in 2022, along with her husband, Jim Matysek.
Anna Lea began volunteering with the Missouri Valley LMSC as Registrar and Treasurer in 1989. She helped run as many as four swim meets a year while living within the Missouri Valley LMSC. She attended her first of 24 consecutive USMS Annual Meetings in 1993 and was a member of both the Finance and Registration committees. She served a four-year stint as the Registration Committee chair. Anna Lea was elected to the USMS Board as an At-Large Director in 2005 and served in that role until 2008.
In 2009, Anna Lea moved to Sarasota, FL and was hired as the Membership Director at the USMS National Office. She soon volunteered to help organize meets for her new club, the Sarasota Sharks Masters. This included two large swim meets each year, an open water race, a team banquet, the Pan-American Masters Championship in 2013, and the YMCA Masters Nationals for four years (2014-2017).
In 2015, Anna Lea began her volunteer service for the Florida LMSC, taking on the Top-10 Recorder and Sanctions Chair positions. She made numerous proposals and improved the efficiency of the Florida LMSC with her expertise. She was honored with the Florida LMSC Service Award for her efforts.
After leaving the National Office position in 2017, Anna Lea joined the USMS History and Archives Committee. She updated the online swimmer profiles for all USMS members who served on committees from 1989 to 2019, helped maintain the Olympians database, and in 2021, was a primary contributor to the ‘In Memoriam” slide show presentation at the USMS Annual Meeting.
Jim and Anna Lea's volunteer service totaled over 60 years (as of 2022) at the local, LMSC, and national levels. Each of them won the Dorothy Donnelly Service Award (Jim in 2000, Anna Lea in 2004). Jim was honored with a dedication in the USMS Rule Book in 2000, and Anna Lea received the same honor in 2018. They made a great team!