Organization History Friends of Paul Holland Pool is a grass roots organization working to raise interest and funds to build and maintain an Outdoor Family Aquatic Center in the greater Oregon, IL area.  It is our belief that a swimming pool is the perfect place to have fun while getting great exercise, and that a well designed swimming pool can be a focal point of social activity for citzens of all ages.  We are proud of our town and all the things that are happening here and that the addition of an outdoor pool is a perfect fit for the direction that Oregon wants to go.   The late Paul Holland Jr., most often called "Pat" or simply "Coach" was a WW II fighter pilot in the US Navy, serving in the South Pacific.  After his military service, he graduated from the University of Illinois as a Physical Education major.  He moved with his family to Oregon in 1951 and started his teaching career at Oregon High School where he remained for 38 years, teaching PE and Drivers Education.  For the first 25 of those years, he was the Head Football Coach, amassing a record of 138-48-6.  He was inducted into the Illinois High School football Coach's Hall of Fame in 1980 and into the Illinois Military Aviation Hall of Fame in 1995 and served on the board of that organization for several years.   Coach began operating the Oregon City Pool in 1952 and retired when he retired from teaching.  During his time at the pool , he oversaw many upgrades, including the addition of the gutter system and improvement of the filter and sanitation systems, and the construction of the wading pool and new bathhouse.  He was known throughout the area for having "the best water in the worst pool in the state."  In additon to maintaining and running the day to day operations of the pool for all those years, he personally taught thousands of kids to swim, including many who became swim instructors and taught others to swim. He emphasized swimming safely, while also having a lot of fun!  A great promoter and a huge advocate for children of all ages, he made the Oregon Pool the place to be in the summer.  Friends of Paul Holland Pool, NFP was formed in 2009 after the City of Oregon "Quarter" Pool was closed and demolished.  The pool served well for over 80 years, but it had reached the end of its life.  It was closed because of deterioration of the structure, and new and expensive Federal and State requirements for suction system safety.  We decided to name our organization for Coach Holland and hope that the pool we build will also be named after him as a tribute to his service to the community through the swimming pool where he touched the lives of virtually everyone in the community.