Deliana Meulenkamp | |
Fullname: | Deliana Meulenkamp |
Nicknames: | "Delia" |
Strokes: | Freestyle |
Club: | Crystal Plunge |
Birth Date: | July 3, 1933 |
Birth Place: | Rotterdam, Netherlands |
Death Place: | San Francisco, California |
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]