Career
John Swift is a versatile professional with a career that includes roles as an Curator, Author, Genealogist, Historian, Nonprofit CEO, and Publisher. His dedication to preserving history and sharing knowledge shines through in every endeavor, whether cataloging archives or writing insightful books. John's unique expertise makes him a valuable asset to the communities he serves.
Curator
In 1986, visionary falconers from The Peregrine Fund founded the Archives of Falconry, prioritizing the collection of rare falconry books. Early donations from older falconers formed the foundation which were bolstered in 1991 when Vicki and I, after winning $110,000 on America’s Funniest Home Videos, donated our personal collection. Appointed Curator of Books and Manuscripts, I along with fellow collectors Tony Huston, Frank Ely, Bill Mattox and Peter Devers, aggressively expanded the Archives’ holdings.
With support from Peregrine Fund president Bill Burnham, I also used archives funds to build the world’s largest English-language falconry book collection. Booksellers Natalie Nicholson and Barrie Watson aided in locating rare titles, while local falconer Bill Mattox helped catalog them for my bibliography. In 2011, I published Bibliotheca Accipitraria II, achieving my original goal of cementing the Archives status as the world’s premier falconry library.
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Author
In 1989, I began compiling a falconry bibliography to update James Edmund Harting’s Bibliotheca Accipitraria, aiming for a 1991 release. This project, initially simple, became a 30-year journey, involving extensive research across libraries in the US, UK, and France. A Dead Falconer Tour with researchers Natalie Nicholson, Peter Devers, and my wife Vicki explored falconry authors’ gravesites in the UK, yielding new insights and sparking a grave restoration program. The advent of personal computers and the internet revolutionized cataloging, moving beyond the National Union Catalogue’s limitations. I personally examined rare works at prestigious libraries, including Harvard’s Houghton, California’s Huntington and Yale’s Beinecke, to ensure accurate descriptions for collectors. With contributions from falconry booksellers, I built the world’s largest English falconry collection at the Archives of Falconry, spanning 1486 to today. The bibliography includes 614 English titles, cited individually, and focused solely on falconry.
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Genealogist
Anne Christian, my mother's sister, pioneered our family's genealogical research, authoring three books on the Hait and Holmes lineages through extensive travel across England and the United States, pre-internet. Her work inspired my parents' own historical accounts, with my father writing post-Alex Hale's Roots and my mother dictating her history after his passing. As family historian, I utilized Ancestry.com, compiling a database of 8,800 ancestors, tracing one lineage back over a millennium.
Extending my research, I employed Find A Grave to locate ancestral burial sites, contributing over 300 names to cemetery records and enhancing gravestone photography using sand to highlight the inscriptions for improved legibility. Visiting cemeteries in Kansas, Oklahoma, Georgia, Illinois, and Rawdon, Canada, I documented and uploaded ancestral images to enrich online resources. I published three books on my parents and grandparents and several more on my life with Vicki, leveraging her extensive photographic archive to preserve our legacy for future generations. All the books are provided on the website.
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Historian
As a historian and curator at the Archives of Falconry since 1991, I developed a passion for preserving the legacy of falconry through its chroniclers. In 1999, Peter Devers discovered the neglected grave of a renowned falconry artist in England, inspiring a campaign to restore such sites. In 2002, alongside Peter, Natalie Nicholson, and Vicki, I embarked on a journey across England, from the Midlands to Yorkshire, to locate the graves of ten notable falconers. Despite challenges, such as navigating English roads and the elusive 15th-century Simon Latham grave, we documented significant historical sites. Dubbed The Dead Falconers Tour, our 2004 return trip furthered these efforts, catalyzing the establishment of the British Falconry Archives. Back in the U.S., we created the Wall of Remembrance at the Archives of Falconry to honor American
falconers. Since its inception, over 250 names have been enshrined, making it a cornerstone of the Archives’ legacy.
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Nonprofit CEO
In 1967, I began my YMCA career as a swimming instructor at Johnson County KS YMCA, transitioning to the Webster Groves MO YMCA as Physical Director by 1968.
There, I managed a vibrant new aquatic facility. In 1972, I took on the financially strained Jackson County YMCA in Carbondale, IL, learning to navigate payroll uncertainties through innovative program promotion with Program Director Mary Ann Ferrell. By 1975, I led the Aurora Family YMCA in Denver, turning around a struggling branch by building a gymnasium and expanding summer day camps with Program Director Jewell Landford. In 1984, as Executive Director of San Pedro and Peninsula CA YMCA, I reversed an operating deficit through strategic staff and expense cuts.
From 1991 to 2000, I served as CEO of the YMCA of Greater Tulsa OK, transforming a $400,000 loss in 1991 into a $1,000,000 surplus in 2000 with CFO Lori Steiner. Postretirement in 2000, I briefly led the El Paso TX YMCA in 2005 and the Downey CA YMCA in 2007, addressing financial challenges through reorganization and fundraising, retiring fully from the YMCA in 2009.
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Publisher
As curator of the Archives of Falconry, I oversaw the production of the Heritage Series, aimed at publishing rare falconry works through small fine press companies to generate revenue for the Archives. By 2010, when my book, Bibliotheca Accipitraria II, was ready, the small press publishers landscape had collapsed, leaving me to manage the entire publication process. I collaborated with a local editor to refine the manuscript, partnered with the Peregrine Fund and a local printer, and personally visited Acme Bookbinding in Boston to oversee the main print run. For a limited leather-bound edition, I worked with Taurus Bookbinding in San Francisco to ensure consistency with prior series volumes. I also produced a limited 40-copy author’s edition, featuring tipped-in original pages from a 400-year-old Latham’s Falconry, priced at $400 each, which sold out pre-publication.
Since 2013, I’ve self-published 17 works, handling writing, photography, production, and sales, including print-on-demand via Blurb.
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