Trevor Eagle
Personal information
Full nameTrevor John Eagle
Born(1932-04-12)12 April 1932
Auckland, New Zealand
Died9 December 2000(2000-12-09) (aged 68)
Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand
Spouse
Corallie McGuire
​
(m. 1956)​
Sport
CountryNew Zealand
SportSwimming
ClubPonsonby Swimming Club

Trevor John Eagle (12 April 1932 – 9 December 2000) was a New Zealand swimmer who represented his country at the 1950 British Empire Games. He went on to become a successful businessman, founding the information technology firm Eagle Technology.

Swimming

Born in Auckland[1] and a member of the Ponsonby Swimming Club,[2] Eagle came to national attention when he won the 100 yards breaststroke title at the 1949 New Zealand junior swimming championships in Napier, recording a time of 1:18.1.[3] During the 1949 season, he lowered the New Zealand junior record for the 220 yards breaststroke four times, to 2:57.0,[2] which was 1.0 s faster than the national senior record at the time.[4] The senior mark was surpassed by John Shanahan at the end of the 1949 season, with a time of 2:51.8.[5] At the 1950 national swimming championships, Eagle finished second behind Shanahan in the men's 220 yards breaststroke, the winner covering the distance in 2:58.0.[6]

At the 1950 British Empire Games, Eagle competed in the 220 yards breaststroke. In his heat, he was second with a time of 3:01.4, and progressed to the final.[7] He swam a time of 3:02.9 in the final to finish in fifth place.[8]

Business career

After an early career as a schoolteacher,[1] Eagle joined the retailer Woolworths as a manager in the early 1960s.[9] He then spent seven years working for IBM, rising to become manager of the Auckland branch.[9] In 1969, Eagle founded Prime Computer, which later became Eagle Technology, of which he was managing director.[9] In 2000, Eagle appeared on the National Business Review rich list, with an estimated minimum worth of NZ$26 million.[1]

Personal life

In 1958, Eagle married Corallie McGuire, and the couple went on to have seven children.[1] He collapsed and died on 9 December 2000, after climbing on board a launch having been swimming near Motuihe Island in the Hauraki Gulf.[1][9]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "IT pioneer lived with passion". Sharechat.co.nz. 15 December 2000. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  2. ^ a b "N.Z. junior swimmers set new times". Gisborne Herald. 8 September 1949. p. 8. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  3. ^ "Aucklander wins five junior swimming titles". Gisborne Herald. 22 February 1949. p. 4. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  4. ^ "Amateur swimming". Otago Daily Times. 22 September 1949. p. 8. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  5. ^ "Two breast-stroke records eclipsed". Gisborne Herald. 30 September 1949. p. 8. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  6. ^ "New swimming records by N.Z. champions". Gisborne Herald. 4 January 1950. p. 3. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  7. ^ "Empire Games record". Otago Daily Times. 7 February 1950. p. 6. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  8. ^ "Swimming 220 yard breaststroke – men Auckland 1950". Commonwealth Games Federation. 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  9. ^ a b c d "Eagle Technology boss". The Press. 14 December 2000. p. 7.
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