Dee Hollar

Dee Hollar served the sport she loved for more than 40 years. If you were in Texas swimming, you knew the “short lady with silver hair” standing on the deck. She started as a timer for her children’s swim team in Virginia and then, after moving to Texas in 1968, progressed to the very top of her profession as a Texas and USA Swimming official. She knew the rule book front to back. She not only ran Texas swimming meets seamlessly; she is credited for running the “classiest” swimming meets in the country.

Dee was the director of the UIL State Swimming Championship for 32 years. She officially oversaw, by means of either being the starter, meet referee, or meet director (and sometimes all three at once), every major swimming meet held at the UT Swim Center from the time it opened in 1977 until her death in February of 2006. Dee officiated every Southwest Conference swim meet, including championship meets from 1987 to 1993 and was officiating for the NCAA until her passing. She was the very first female starter for USA Swimming at the National Swimming Championships at The University of Texas Championships in 1978.

Dee earned the highest degrees of swimming official certification, reaching a pinnacle by officiating at the 1984 Los Angeles and 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. Dee also officiated countless times for the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) and USA Swimming Junior and Senior Olympics, Blind Olympics, Special Olympics, Olympic Sports Festivals as well as the World, Pan American and Goodwill Games, not to mention the hundreds of small A, B and C meets at local pools over the decades. Before these meets she often gave stroke clinics and training to other swimming officials.

Dee was a team manager for USA Swimming for many international trips. She was also involved in U.S. Modern Pentathlon for many years as the head swimming official, chief-of discipline and technical advisor for the sport on a national and international level, including the Olympic Games.