Full name Deliana Meulenkamp Club Crystal Plunge Nickname(s) "Delia" Name Delia Meulenkamp | ||
 | ||
Died March 13, 2013, San Francisco, California, United States | ||
Deliana Meulenkamp (July 3, 1933 – March 13, 2013), 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. She competed in the women's 400-meter freestyle, advanced to the semifinals. She held four American records during her swimming career.
Meulenkamp was born in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and had a brother Jack. 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. 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.