In this Texas Monthly story, Lea Konczal recounts the life of an extraordinary deaf athlete and world-record holder. LeRoy Colombo saved 907 people in his career as a lifeguard, became a champion long-distance Gulf swimmer, and was one of the first people to surf in Texas. But he was also unlikable: a hot-tempered, boastful man who embellished the truth and embodied contradictions. Konczal’s fascinating portrait of Colombo is also a snapshot of Galveston and the Gulf in 1920s America and onward.
Colombo’s deafness wasn’t much of a handicap—drowning swimmers don’t typically scream. In fact, historian Jean F. Andrews argues that his deafness may have been an asset, forcing him to sharpen his visual attention and motion detection while eliminating distracting beach noise as he scanned the waves.
More picks from Texas Monthly
The Rise and Rise of Balloon Racing’s First Family
“Joe Heartsill and his sons, Rhett and Lucas, are international eminences in a very obscure corner of professional sports.”
The Guadalupe Swept Us Away. This Is the Story of All That Came After.
“In the days after last July’s historic disaster, I wrote about the tragedy that befell my family. But crawling out of the river was only the beginning.”
One Man’s Quest for the End of the World Started on a Ranch in Texas
“A Texas businessman believes he was divinely chosen to help usher in the Second Coming of Christ—by finding unblemished red heifers and getting them to Israel.”
This Texas Teenager Is One of the World’s Most Feared Fighters. Don’t Expect Her to Talk About It.
“Not yet twenty, Helena Crevar is one of the most feared fighters in martial arts. What’s her secret?”
Will Dad and I Ever See Texas the Same Way?
“A noted Texas historian and his adult child get behind the wheel to see if they can finally view their home state the same way.”
Inside the Deadliest Immigration-Related Disaster in US History
“He went in search of a better life for his family. His brother refused to let him go alone. Only one survived the journey.”
