Delia Meulenkamp gew up in the Netherlands but her family emigrated to the United States after World War II. She swam for the Crystal Plunge team in Marin County, California and was known as one of “Charlie (Sava) Girls.” She became a US citizen by a special act of Congress signed into law by President Truman so she could compete for the 1952 US Olympic team. Her good looks earned her the sobriquet “Queen of the Olympics,” commenting on the copper-haired American swimmer. She later worked for Pacific Southwest Airlines and was athletic director of the Metropolitan Club. After her marriage to a San Francisco attorney she devoted her life to raising her two boys, but continued to swim daily until health issues a few years before her death prevented it.
United States