Swim for Charlie: How friends are honoring the legacy of UNC physician and NC activist

Jonathan Klein remembers listening to the voicemail in his hotel room and the grief that engulfed him.

His close friend Dr. Charles van der Horst had died after disappearing during New York’s 8 Bridges Hudson River Swim. The 67-year-old long-distance swimmer was in the second-to-last stage of the 120-mile marathon swim when he went under the surface June 14, 2019.

Klein, a competitive swimmer and Hillsborough family practitioner, swam alongside van der Horst for 30 years. Now he has helped establish the Dr. Charles van der Horst Water Safety Initiative to protect children around water.

The nonprofit initiative, also known as Swim for Charlie, has partnered with Orange County Schools and the Orange County Sportsplex to provide free water safety and swimming instruction. The first cycle will provide lessons to 230 second graders throughout February and March.

“Charlie did so much good for the world. His death was a real blow to so many people, and the swimming community knew we really needed to do something,” Klein said.

“I suggested putting up a plaque at the Sportsplex in Charlie’s honor. The response was perfect,” Klein said, recalling one fellow swimmer’s reaction. “How appropriate ... and inadequate.”

Van der Horst, a distinguished HIV/AIDS researcher, also was a social justice advocate in North Carolina and participated in Moral Monday demonstrations that began in 2013.

Drownings and children

Klein routinely asks parents during well-child appointments if their child is water safe.

Often, the answer is no.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports drowning ranks fifth among the leading causes of unintentional injury deaths in the U.S., with about 10 people dying each day.

“The statistics are shocking,” said Orange County Schools Superintendent Monique Felder. “It was clear we needed this program in our community.”

The Initiative will launch Feb. 3 with students from Central Elementary School participating in eight 40-minute sessions, Felder said. Students from Efland-Cheeks Elementary School and New Hope Elementary School will round out the first cycle of the Initiative.

“The parents are excited, but nothing matches the excitement of the students,” Felder said. “They are thrilled to have this opportunity.”

The program is a true collaboration. The three elementary schools will provide the buses and drivers to take students to the Sportsplex during the school day, while the Sportsplex provides free pool time.

And after parents raised concerns about what happens once the program ends, there is now talk of extending the instruction in some way, “At a bare minimum, the swim extension will provide previous students with discounts to (additional) lessons,” Sportsplex general manager Andrew Stock said.

Honoring van der Horst

Klein and van der Horst were both “really competitive guys” that liked to push each other, Klein said. “We respected how hard we worked in life and in the water.”

Van der Horst spoke openly about and wrote a newspaper column that described his struggle with depression throughout his career.

“Underlying the anger, anxiety, frustration, and grandiosity was depression, hopelessness and helplessness,” he wrote. “I self-medicated in good ways and bad. By working out daily, swimming and running.”

In his essay, van der Horst credited his wife, two daughters and close friends with surrounding him with a “protective and patient healing love” while he was being treated for depression.

Despite his struggles, “Charlie had an infectious personality,” Klein said. “He was good to be around. You just wanted to be near him.”

One exceptionally cold February morning, the two friends planned to meet at the pool for a 6 a.m. training session. Klein passed the fogged-over windows as he walked down to the pool deck and was immediately awoken from his early-morning haze by his friend.

“All of a sudden I heard Charlie boisterously singing show tunes. His big personality was there to greet me when I needed it,” Klein said.

Van der Horst was known throughout the community as the glue that held everyone together, he said.

“This initiative is the best way for the swimming community to honor Charlie,” he said.

This story was originally published January 27, 2020 at 2:42 PM.