Dr. Jane Katz to be Honored this Weekend

Sunday night, eight men and women will be inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame Museum. One of the honorees has deep Lower East Side roots. Here’s the scoop, via the blog, Kaplan’s Corner:

Growing up on the Lower East Side of New York City, (Dr. Jane) Katz started swimming competitively at age 14. While a member of the U.S. Swim Team Maccabiah Games in Israel, her love for long-distance and synchronized swimming grew. Katz has competed in many races in pools, lakes, and even oceans. In 1964, she was a member of the U.S. synchronized swimming performance team in Tokyo. Some of her other achievements include being named an All-American and World Masters Championships. As recently as August, 2009 she competed in the National Senior Games winning several events. She earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education and a master’s degree at NYU and currently works as a professor at John Jay College and continues to teach student the benefits of water fitness at City University.

We spoke with Dr. Katz last November, just before her father – legendary swim coach Leon Katz – celebrated his 90th birthday at the Sol Goldman Y on 14th Street.  Jane Katz takes her dad swimming several days a week at the Y, a place that served as a second home when she was growing up. You can see our story on Leon and jane Katz here.