About the Charity Event

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About Tom Wear
Tom was born on October 19, 1949 in Morristown, and was raised in Denville, NJ. He graduated from Morris Knolls High School in 1968 and went on to obtain a degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Arizona State University. Tom purchased Prospect Point Marina at the age of 28 and went on to make a success of himself in the Marina business. He subsequently purchased a marina on Brady Road that was nicknamed Marina X as he could not quite decide on a proper name.  In 2000 The Wearhouse Grille was opened and has been a successful restaurant in Lake Hopatcong.  In 2008, Tom Wear passed away following a seven-month battle with a brain infection. 

Tom had great vision, was an incredible businessman and was a well known and respected member of the community in Lake Hopatcong.  This charity event is in Tom’s honor.

About the Tom Wear Memorial Swim
In response to the depth of Tom’s many contributions, in 2009 several of Tom’s neighbors collaborated on what they hope will become an annual event.  Bridgette Hobart, an avid open water swimmer, approached Regina Makowski, Tom’s companion and business partner, with her idea to establish an open water swim to honor Tom.  Regina, embracing Bridgette’s idea, quickly teamed up with Bridgette and Esther Poulsen.  Esther took charge as Volunteer Director and we’ve benefited from her strong project management skills.  The three women received immense support from many of Tom’s other neighbors as well as the community at large.  Also significant were the many contributions of Susan Kirk, board member of the NJ Masters Swim Organization, in providing invaluable guidance in securing sanctioning, sharing her many years of experience in event preparation, and her efforts to promote the event.

In September, 2009, the first annual Tom Wear Memorial Swim was held in Woodport Bay, Lake Hopatcong.  Over one hundred swimmers took part in quarter mile and one mile races, with swimmers in their early teens to their late 70s.  Over $8,000 was raised for Jefferson Township Animal Pound.  

The Memorial Swim is a one-mile open water swim through the Woodport Bay section of Lake Hopatcong. The race starts at the Prospect Point Boat Yard on Route 181 in Lake Hopatcong.  Swimmers race south, then southeast to Oh! Sullivan’s Woodport House, then back north to the boat yard. A quarter mile swim will also be held starting near Oh!Sullivan’s and finishing at Prospect Point Boat Yard.

The success of the 2009 swim led to it being selected for the 2010 US Masters One Mile Colonies Zone Open Water Swim championship, bringing athletes from throughout the Northeastern United States.
 
The race is sanctioned by New Jersey LMSC, Inc. for U.S. Masters Swimming, Inc.. Sanction ID: 070-OW002.

About Lake Hopatcong
Lake Hopatcong is one of the recreational jewels of New Jersey and the state’s largest lake.  It is eight miles long and is an excellent destination for boating, fishing, lakeside dining, swimming, kayaking and other outdoor fun.

About Jeffeson Township Animal Rescue
Net proceeds from the swim will benefit the Jefferson Township Animal Pound.  The shelter holds up to 20-25 cats in the main cat room, and 8-9 dogs in a separate area. The animal shelter hopes to apply the proceeds to build a quarantine room. In the meantime, sick animals are placed in cages kept in the dog run room. “We have
cages in the dog run room and it’s hard for cats to recover with the barking dogs,” says an animal shelter spokesperson. “Keeping ill and healthy animals together also increases the likelihood of volunteers tracking infections via their shoes, the spokesperson said. “A quarantine room will cut down on illnesses and vet bills.”

We’d like to thank our swimmers, our volunteers and our corporate and individual sponsors for making this event a success!