Delia Meulenkamp
![]() Meulenkamp with mother in 1952 | |
Personal information | |
---|---|
Full name | Deliana Meulenkamp |
Nickname | "Delia" |
National team | ![]() |
Born | Rotterdam, Netherlands | July 3, 1933
Died | March 13, 2013 San Francisco, California | (aged 79)
Sport | |
Sport | Swimming |
Strokes | Freestyle |
Club | Crystal Plunge |
Deliana Meulenkamp (July 3, 1933 in Rotterdam, Netherlands – March 13, 2013 in San Francisco, California), also known by her married name Delia Dooling, was a Dutch-born American competition swimmer who represented the United States at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland.[1] She competed in the women's 400-meter freestyle, advanced to the semifinals.[1][2] She held four American records during her swimming career.
Meulenkamp was born in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and had a brother Jack.[3][1] She was the beneficiary of a special act of the U.S. Congress signed by President Truman in order to become a U.S. citizen and compete in the Olympics as an American. She became a media sensation at the 1952 Olympics when the good looks of the "copper-haired American swimmer" attracted the attention of newspaper and magazine photographers.[4] She later worked for Pacific Southwest Airlines and served as athletic director of the Metropolitan Club. She married Jack K. Dooling, a San Francisco attorney, and had two boys with him, John and Matthew. She died in San Francisco aged 79.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Athletes, Delia Meulenkamp. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
- ^ Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Swimming at the 1952 Helsinki Summer Games, Women's 400 meters Freestyle Semi-Finals. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
- ^ File:Delia Meulenkamp 1952.jpg
- ^ Associated Press, "Picked as 'Queen' of the Olympics," Reading Eagle, p. 30 (July 20, 1952). Retrieved September 8, 2015.
- ^ "Deliana Dooling: Death Notice," San Francisco Chronicle (March 19, 2013). Retrieved September 8, 2015.