Paul J. Laskow, a former chair of Schuylkill Navy River Restoration Committee and champion rower who grew up in Warwick Township, has died at 73. Gary Miles wrote about the recent passing in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

An attorney and retired chief legal officer and corporate secretary of AAA Club Partners took up rowing when he was just 13.

He was a national high school champion and a varsity eight champion while rowing for St. Joseph’s University. Over the years, he kept collecting medals. He acquired his most recent medal a week before his death, when he won the Masters four with coxswain race at Schuylkill Navy Regatta.

“That guy could not sit still,” said Margaret Meigs, Paul Laskow’s wife. “His superpower was direct action. If something had to be done, he did it.”

He was also instrumental in having the Schuylkill scheduled for dredging after more than two decades of silt accumulation. The project started in 2013 and required substantial fund-raising and delicate negotiations on several levels.

Thanks to his efforts, Schuylkill Navy River Restoration Committee was recognized with the 2019 Clayton Chapman Award from the U.S. Rowing Association.

Read more about Paul Laskow in The Philadelphia Inquirer.