About us:
Advisory Board
The Winged Fist Organization's Advisory Board is composed of distinguished athletes, academics, writers, historians, police officers, producers and one master genealogist. To view brief biographies, see Winged Fist Advisory Board.
Ian McGowan: Winged Fist Organization founder, archivist & executive director
Mr. McGowan is a native New Yorker and historian, with a Master's Degree in history from the City College of the City University of New York. He currently resides in Sunnyside/Woodside, Queens in the Celtic Park apartments, on the very site of the former Irish-American Athletic Club’s track & field. Mr. McGowan has been studying the Irish Diaspora in the America’s for more than twenty-five years, and for the past seven years has been researching the athletes and accomplishments of the Irish-American Athletic Club.
Email: wingedfist@gmail.com
Conrad Landais: Graphic Artist & Web Designer
Mr. Landais, also a native New Yorker, is the Winged Fist Organization’s web designer and graphic artist extraordinaire. He has twenty years experience as a graphic artist and is available for freelance graphic art and web design.
Email: clandais@gmail.com
Irish-American Athletic Club Presentation:
Ian McGowan, founder, historian and archivist of the Winged Fist Organization, is available to present his lecture and PowerPoint presentation on the history of the Irish-American Athletic Club of Celtic Park, Queens. A true history detective, Mr. McGowan unearthed a treasure trove of trophies won by the I-AAC a century ago, which disappeared from the public eye more than 75 years ago. His research has uncovered the special role of the Irish-American Athletic Club in the history of amateur athletics and their prominence regionally, nationally and internationally in the early 20th century. This story and many others, including the I-AAC's role in the controversial 1908 Olympics, are part of Mr. McGowan's lecture and presentation, which includes over one hundred historic archival photos. Mr. McGowan is available to present to your fraternal organization, county society, campus club or athletic team just about anywhere in the Greater New York tri-state area, or anywhere in the world, providing expenses are covered.
Review:
"This is the kind of presentation that puts flesh on the bones of our Ancestors. It adds to our genealogical research because it not only shows us what type of entertainment our ancestors participated in, but also what they enjoyed viewing and who were the foremost athletes of the time."
-Walter Kehoe
President of Computer Genealogy Society of Long Island, VP and Director, Irish Family History Forum, Trustee, Greater Astoria Historical Society and Former Director, Plainview Family History Center
Press Clips:
How you can help the Winged Fist Organization:
All content on this site, unless otherwise specified, is © Copyright Ian McGowan / Winged Fist Organization. Web Design Conrad Landais
The Winged Fist Organization was founded in the summer of 2008 (one hundred years after the Irish-American Athletic Club's outstanding performance at the 1908 Olympics in London) to preserve the legacy of the Irish-American Athletic Club and to bring their athletic accomplishments to the attention of the public.
In May of 2009, the Winged Fist Organization became a fiscally sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Contributions to the Winged Fist Organization to support our research may be made to Fractured Atlas, and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
If you have any information about the I-AAC, if you are descended from one of their athletes, if you have any photos or ephemera relating to the I-AAC, or if you have any questions pertaining to the I-AAC or the history of Celtic Park, please email: wingedfist@gmail.com