Hobbies
John Swift is a man of varied passions, deeply immersed in the world of books as a bibliophile. He practiced falconry, trained racing pigeons, and stays active through running. When not engaged in these hobbies, John explores cultures and landscapes as a traveler.
Bibliophile
My passion for book collecting lit up early in my childhood, sparked by Hardy Boys novels back in Lawrence, Kansas—those books even earned me reading awards. When I moved to Dallas, I got the hang of cataloguing, a skill I honed further while working in the libraries at the University of Kansas, where I found myself drawn to bird books. Later, in St. Louis, a falconer named Henry Kendall sparked what would become a lifelong love for falconry, and a bookseller named Bob Hecht helped grow my collection.
As I moved on to Denver and then Los Angeles, booksellers like Barrie Watson and Natalie Nicholson helped me expand my library even more. In 1991, I won $110,000 on America’s Funniest Home Videos—money I used to donate my growing collection to the Archives of Falconry, where I became the Curator of Books and Manuscripts. Fueled by relentless passion, I built what would become the world’s largest English-language collection of falconry books. In 2003, a new wing was dedicated to the collection, and in 2010, I published my bibliographic work Bibliotheca Accipitraria II. I retired from the Archives in 2013, proud to leave behind a legacy deeply embedded in the world of falconry.
​
Featured Works:
Falconer
In 1964, I launched my falconry adventure in Dallas, purchasing a Harris’s hawk named Sam from a newspaper ad. At the University of Kansas, Sam became our fraternity’s fierce mascot, flying to lures but striking out on hunts. By 1970, in St. Louis, I trained Bucky, a Red-tailed hawk, who mastered diving from treetops to catch rabbits and squirrels. Over the next decades, I flew multiple Harris’s hawks all named Sam, each a desert predator chasing jackrabbits with relentless determination. In Denver, one Sam tackled massive jackrabbits solo, pinning them in wrestling holds after high 30-foot pitches. In Tulsa, a Sam teamed with a beagle and ferret, pushing rabbits into action. By 2000, in Tucson, I flew several passage female Harris’s hawks, dominating cottontails and jackrabbits. My final hawk, Peewee, a pint-sized male, became a cottontail-catching fanatic before joining a Minnesota breeding project, cementing his wild falconry heritage!
Featured Works:
Pigeon Racer
My journey into pigeon racing has been one of grit, patience, and a lot of trial and error. As a teenager, I built a rough little loft in the backyard—nothing fancy—and joined the Dallas Homing Pigeon Club alongside some high school friends, all of us chasing the thrill of a win. The early races didn’t go my way, but I kept at it, caring for my birds with all the determination I could muster. I got my first pigeons from a local breeder, and they quickly became more than just birds—they became a full-blown passion.
When the church rectory I lived in was set to move, putting my loft at risk, I didn’t waste time. I teamed up with a fellow racer—a WWII refugee—who became a mentor to me. In 1963, we formed the Swift and Zidermanis (S&Z) loft, and from there, things took off. We dominated nearly every old bird race that season. One of my pigeons, Blue Boy, pulled off something special: flying over 300 miles to feed his newly hatched chicks, clinching a win against the odds. What started out scrappy turned into something real, and through persistence, I built a legacy in champion pigeon racing.
​​
Featured Works:
Runner
My running journey began in kindergarten at McAllister Elementary in Lawrence, KS, where, despite my shyness, I discovered my speed by racing classmate Donna Walker. Moving to Dallas, I overcame Osgood-Schlatter knee disease and excelled in track, leading off the sprint relay team at Hillcrest High School for three years. In 1963, our team broke records, but a slow baton exchange cost us the Texas state title. At the University of Kansas, I tried out for track but found the competition challenging. Instead, I played intramural football and ran Greek Week races, showcasing my speed. Later, in St. Louis, Carbondale, and Aurora, I embraced long-distance running, completing six marathons in Denver and Los Angeles by pacing myself to avoid "hitting the wall". In Tulsa, I ran consistently, training with my sons in cross country and a YMCA group in the evenings, mastering trails and even completed a sub six-minute mile at age 48. My persistence transformed a shy kid into a lifelong runner completing over 50,000 lifetime miles.
Featured Works:
Traveler
Together Vicki and I crafted unforgettable journeys, inspired by my wife Vicki’s transformation from a Missouri native with minimal travel experience to a globetrotter. Our adventures began with a 1970 honeymoon to Padre Island, Texas. Over decades, my YMCA career and Vicki’s travel agency role unlocked a world of exploration. Her expertise secured “fam trips,” landing us a Panama Canal cruise, a Madrid and Portugal adventure to meet cousins, and frequent Hawaiian getaways to all islands. A standout was our 1987 Tahiti trip, scored at a quarter of the cost. We explored California’s Highway 1 to Canada, joined an NBA Players Association trip to Greece in 1980, and later ventured to Korea. Post-retirement, our Dead Falconers Tour took us to England, France, Holland, and Belgium, honoring history while visiting my namesake’s grave. From Midwestern roots, we’ve curated a lifetime of global memories.
Featured Works:
