Wilford “Bill” Caulkins III, right, shown here with Kylie Eiselstein, is retiring after 50 years of being a swimming official in the Chattanooga area.DeFo Spencer swam as a youngster, graduating from McCallie School in 1974, and had a daughter who swam at The Fairyland Club. He swam in the Chattanooga Area Swim League, in high school and later at Furman University.
And for Spencer’s entire life, both as kid and adult, Wilford “Bill” Caulkins III has been a constant presence.
“Growing up as a swimmer, I don’t think I ever attended a swim meet as a competitor, or now as a parent, that Bill wasn’t there,” he says. “He is an institution.”
For the last 50 years, Bill Caulkins has been a fixture in Chattanooga area swimming circles. For many, without the man dressed all in white gracing the deck at Warner Park, the idea of a City Meet Championship — a year-end, multi-day, multi-team event — is unimaginable.
But they’ll have to get used to the idea. Caulkins, 83, is retiring from his duties as a volunteer swimming official, trainer and scheduler. He will be honored Friday at the Fairyland Club on Lookout Mountain, where he has lived most of his life.