WALT GROCKOWSKI

WALT GROCKOWSKI, retired athletic trainer at Wesleyan, died Oct. 26, 2006. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy, where he served as a pharmacist?s mate. A graduate of the New Haven College of Physical Therapy, he began his 39-year tenure in the Wesleyan athletic department in 1947 and became the head trainer in 1973. He was one of four athletic trainers for the U.S. Olympic Team during the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan. He was also active in Middletown athletics, assisting with parks department and American Legion events. He was inducted into the National Athletic Trainers Association Hall of Fame in 1984 and the Middletown Sports Hall of Fame in 1995. He retired from Wesleyan in 1986 but remained active in the community.