This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!
Lifeguard Dick Zvacek’s record Cedar Rapids rescues detailed
The article profiles Dick Zvacek and fellow Cedar Rapids lifeguards from the 1920s and 1930s. It cites Zvacek pulling 275 people from water in 1924, George Alexander saving thirty in a day, and Ed Stefan confirming the era’s depth and risks. Zvacek began rescuing as a child and later starred on Washington High’s 1924 25 teams. He and his wife Bess run the NITE OWL groceries at Fourth Ave and 1st St SW, near his riverfront childhood home.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Zvacek
Ripley’s
Fourth Avenue
Third
Fourth Avenues
Cedar Rapidians
Ernest Kosek
Francis Messinger
Ford Shoudy
George Alexander
Dick Zvacek
Washington High
Bess
34Th St. N.E
Fourth Ave
1St St. S.W