Dr. Hal Stolz loved winning.
His driving desire led to a lifetime of swimming accomplishments and accolades that cannot be debated.
Stolz passed away last Monday, Dec. 23, at the age of 85, and he left an indelibly positive impression on those who knew him.
Hal’s older brother Irwin, who admitted he is biased, said, “He’s one of the finest people I’ve ever known. We were very close, and he was my best friend. I was his greatest admirer.”
Longtime newspaperman Mark Millican met Stolz in the late-1980s, and they became fast friends once they discovered their shared love of swimming.
“We went to church together and found out we both liked to swim,” Millican recalled. “I’d go over to the veterinary clinic in East Ellijay and we’d swim during our lunch break.
“I knew Hal for over 30 years, and he was just such a great guy with a big heart. He’s always been such an inspiration. He’s going to be missed, and I’m going to miss my friend.”
Local businessman Joe K. McCutchen Jr. spoke fondly of Stolz as well, and the two enjoyed each other’s company on a regular basis.
“I was a close friend of Hal’s for over 50 years, and we went out together just about every Saturday night,” McCutchen said. “He was just such a pleasant and fun person to be around.
“I never heard Hal say anything bad about anybody. He was always positive and looked to the good side of life. He was just a great person to be around. He was an outstanding leader and a winner. He was a person who excelled, and it never went to his head. I’ve never seen someone with such a burning desire to win.”
While Stolz achieved a level of excellence most can only dream of, his greatness in the swimming pool did not come without plenty of hard work and dedication to his craft.
Stolz’s journey began as a bored freshman at Georgia Military Academy (GMA). Once the football season had culminated, he was without a sport.
At Irwin’s behest, Hal joined him for a swimming session at the Luckie Street YMCA in Atlanta. Stolz swam freestyle, but did not enjoy it, according to a 2014 interview. However, he soon found a stroke that stimulated his interest, and it was the butterfly.
By the end of his time at GMA, Stolz had earned All-American honors as an upperclassman in 1951 and 1952.
ext, it was off to the University of Georgia where his talents continued to flourish. Stolz was a four-time letterman from 1953-56 and helped the Bulldogs win the Southeastern Conference (SEC) title in 1955. He was named All-American in 1955 and 1956 and captained the team in his final season.
Over the course of his collegiate career, Stolz won six individual SEC championship titles and supplanted five conference records. He was the American and collegiate record holder in the 200-yard breaststroke in 1955.
Stolz graduated from UGA’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 1958. He put his competitive swimming career on hold and joined the U.S. Army where he served as veterinarian before retiring honorably with 20 years of service.
Stolz continued to swim to maintain his fitness, and by 1989, he was back on the competitive scene. Once again, it was Irwin who suggested Hal make the move. Stolz joined U.S. Masters Swimming, which is a nonprofit organization that hosts sanctioned events for adult swimmers.
Masters swimmers compete against similar-aged individuals, and in 1990, Stolz finished second in four events at the National Seniors Swimming Championship. The following year, he racked up four first-place finishes at the event.
“When I started the Masters program, I wanted to get as good as I could as fast as I could and win national titles,” Stolz said in 2014. “That’s what stimulates you to do it. You want to win, and you love to win and that’s what inspires me in swimming.”
Stolz kept winning as his Masters swimming career continued. Over the course of his Masters career, he finished with the top time in six individual events and was a member of six relay teams who accomplished the feat at the conclusion of the season. For his efforts, he was named All-American on 12 occasions.
From the 2013 to the 2014 season, Stolz did the unthinkable for someone his age and got faster.
He attended the 2014 FINA World Masters Swimming Championships in Montreal and became a world champion in the 100-meter breaststroke.
Stolz called his world championship “the proudest moment” of his Masters career.
That same year, he was a member of world record-setting relay teams in the 200- medley, 400- medley and 400-meter freestyle. In the latter two events, Irwin joined Hal as a world-record holder.
“Swimming has been everything to me,” Stolz said at the time. “It’s been everything to my brother and I. It’s just been everything and there’s nothing like swimming.”
During the summer of 2014, Stolz was inducted into the Georgia Aquatic Hall of Fame for his lifetime of swimming superlatives.
His Masters swimming resume concluded with 328 swims for a total of 195 individual and 77 top-10 rankings at the end of each competitve season.
Until the end, Stolz continued to train vigorously. While a nagging shoulder and other injuries slowed him at times, his weekly regimen consisted of swimming 20,000 to 25,000 yards per week while still maintaining his veterinary practice.
Stolz’s persistent dedication often left McCutchen wondering why he continued to push himself after accomplishing so much.
“I’d question him a lot and say, ‘Hal, here you are 85 years old swimming two hours a day. Why do you do this? You’re already a world champion,’” McCutchen said. “And he’d say, ‘Joe, I just have the desire to win. I love to win, and I’m willing to pay the price it takes to win.’
“Hal was just a winner.”