(NCAA) championships. In 1934 he also broke the world record in the 300-yard three-stroke individual medley. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism on June 9, 1934. After leaving Rutgers, Spence swam with the New York Athletic Club (NYAC). His two younger brothers, Wallace and Leonard, joined him in the United States in 1926 and 1928, respectively. The brothers competed for the NYAC in the three-stroke medley relay, with Wallace swimming the backstroke, Leonard the breaststroke, and Walter the front crawl. Together, they won the 1933 AAU championship title in the event and later set the world record during an exhibition at Rutgers. Joining with Peter Fick, they won the four-man 400 yard freestyle relay at the 1935 AAU championships. After retiring from swimming, Spence worked as an insurance salesman for the Security Mutual Life Insurance Company in New York City. He married Sheila O'Connor and had five children: David (born c. 1942), Harold (born c. 1947), Donald (born c. 1950), Sheila (born c. 1952), and Wendy (born c. 1953). Spence was killed in an accident on October 16, 1958 in White Plains, New York, while trying to board a train at the North White Plains station. He was on his way from New York City to his home in Hawthorne and had stepped off the train to call his wife during a stop at White Plains. When the train began to debark, he ran to catch it and attempted to re-board, but slipped and fell onto the tracks. He suffered severe injuries to his legs and died at White Plains Hospital an hour and a half later. Nine years after his death, in 1967, Walter, Wallace, and Leonard Spence were inducted together into the International Swimming Hall of Fame. See also List of members of the International Swimming Hall of Fame List of Commonwealth Games medallists in swimming (men) List of Olympic medalists in swimming (men) References External links sports-reference.com Olympic database profile 1901 births 1958 deaths People from Linden, Guyana Guyanese male swimmers Guyanese emigrants to the United States Canadian male breaststroke swimmers Canadian male freestyle swimmers Olympic swimmers of Canada Swimmers at the 1928 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 1932 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists for Canada Swimmers at the 1938 British Empire Games Commonwealth Games silver medallists for British Guiana Olympic bronze medalists in swimming Canadian sportspeople of Guyanese descent Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's swimmers