Dennis Carey Info.

“The Official Best Of” program was started in 2004 by Executive Producer Brett Allen.  He saw a need for better resources about travel and created The Official Best Of.  Each state production shows the best attractions in various categories in their area.

As part of The Official Best of Florida for 2010, The International Swimming Hall of Fame, where Dennis Carey is on the Board of Directors, was voted the best sports museum in Florida.

Mark Spitz

In the 80s and 90s the International Swimming Hall of Fame was displayed swimming memorabilia, such as Johnny Wiessmuller’s Olympic medals and Mark Spitz’s starting block, in style. In the early 2000s, however, the state of the displays was deteriorating and the Hall of Fame’s finances were in the dog house. To complete the picture, a burglary in December, 2004 resulted in the loss of a majority of its most valuable memorabilia.

In May of 2005 Bruce Wigo stepped in to become the Hall’s new Chief Executive Officer. With the help of his longtime friend Dennis Carey, who was at the time a consultant for an executive search firm, they were able to convince the entire 21 member board to resign and also to give Wigo and Carey the authority to appoint a new board. After the board was dissolved Dennis Carey immediately began to work on convincing Mark Spitz to head the new board of the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

Dennis Carey is a former swimmer and the son of a swimming coach and will is also a member of the new board at the Hall of Fame.

As the head of the newly appointed board, Spitz said that he hoped there would be stricter standards for selection into the hall, more fund-raising and sponsorships. He also looked forward to seeing more modernization of the various displays so that they could be more interactive and child-friendly.