Stanley Switlik
Encyclopedia
Stanley Switlik was a parachute pioneer. Born in 1890 in Galicia, now part of Poland
, he immigrated to the United States at 17 years of age. Originally, his company made heavy sewn items such as golf bags and mailbags.
, he built the first parachute training tower in the United States. The first jump from this tower was on June 2, 1935 by Amelia Earhart
, who described the experience as "Loads of fun!".
He died of a heart attack in Marathon, Florida
on March 4, 1981.
is named for him, as is the Switlik Elementary School in Jackson, New Jersey.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, he immigrated to the United States at 17 years of age. Originally, his company made heavy sewn items such as golf bags and mailbags.
Parachute tower
With his partner George P. PutnamGeorge P. Putnam
George Palmer Putnam was an American publisher, author and explorer. Known for his marriage to and being the widower of Amelia Earhart, he had also achieved fame as one of the most successful promoters in the United States during the 1930s.-Early life:Born in Rye, New York, he was the son of John...
, he built the first parachute training tower in the United States. The first jump from this tower was on June 2, 1935 by Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart
Amelia Mary Earhart was a noted American aviation pioneer and author. Earhart was the first woman to receive the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded for becoming the first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean...
, who described the experience as "Loads of fun!".
He died of a heart attack in Marathon, Florida
Marathon, Florida
Marathon is a city on Knight's Key, Boot Key, Key Vaca, Fat Deer Key, Long Point Key, Crawl Key and Grassy Key islands in the middle Florida Keys, in Monroe County, Florida, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 10,255. As of 2005, the population estimated...
on March 4, 1981.
Legacy
The Stanley Switlik Elementary school in Marathon, FloridaMarathon, Florida
Marathon is a city on Knight's Key, Boot Key, Key Vaca, Fat Deer Key, Long Point Key, Crawl Key and Grassy Key islands in the middle Florida Keys, in Monroe County, Florida, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 10,255. As of 2005, the population estimated...
is named for him, as is the Switlik Elementary School in Jackson, New Jersey.