ETHS Dedicates Pool To Retired Swim Coach

The District 202 Board of Education voted to name pool the “William Dobson Burton Aquatic Center” after legendary Coach William “Dobbie” Burton. A dedication ceremony is scheduled for this Friday, March 11, Burton’s birthday. 

For 38 years, Burton taught and coached both swimming and golf at ETHS. He is recognized for his swimming achievements as a coach on both the state and national levels. While coaching, the ETHS swim team captured four national swim championships and five state championships.

Burton was recognized for his coaching achievements by both the National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association and the National Federation of High Schools. Some of his student athletes include 200 All-American swimmers, one Olympic silver medalist, five NCAA Division I National Champion swimmers, and hundreds of NCAA Division I, II & III swimmers. And, in 1969, Burton was inducted into the Illinois Swimming Hall of Fame.  

According to a statement made by Superintendent Eric Witherspoon, Burton is responsible for “putting ETHS on the map as the school with the preeminent swimming program in the state and in the nation.” But according to Witherspoon, the swimming program cannot continue to grow if the pool is not maintained. Witherspoon said the pool “is in need of upgrades and improvements to equal the technology of 21st century pools.”

The ETHS Educational Foundation will raise the necessary funds to improve the aquatic center, which is estimated to cost approximately $2.2 million. More than $1 million has already been raised on behalf of Burton and his legacy, as he was influential in the lives of many swimmers, divers, and golfers. 

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story stated the Alumni Association was raising funds to improve the aquatic center. The Alumni Association is not a fundraising entity