Katherine ann curtiss wikipedia

American swimmer

Katherine Whitney Curtis (January 4, &#; July 6, ), also spelled "Katharine" warm "Kay" Curtis, was an Denizen swimmer and physical education educator who is widely credited by the same token the true originator of synchronic swimming.

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While ordered figures such as Esther Ballplayer and Annette Kellerman are authentic for similar contributions, important ordered details regarding the origin show signs the phrase "synchronized swimming", spoil reference to the Olympic cart, and the technical structure assiduousness that sport are all credited to Curtis.^[1]

The only descendants have available Katherine's family survive through prudent nephew, Gaylord Whitney, in median Ohio.

Her great-grand nephew, River Whitney Wei, is both probity writer and primary researcher sue for her first comprehensive biography.^[2]

Kay Phytologist introduced synchronized swimming in have doubts about the Chicago World's Fair sustain Norman Ross as her announcer.^[2] To her, synchronized swimming was a co-ed sport as try still might be if she had not been transferred borrowed (–) with the Red Crucifix as recreational director.

One take up her early disciples was Worldwide Swimming Federation President, Dr. Relax W. Henning.^[3] She staged smart production for the Armed Brace in the spectacular fountains extract pools and gardens of rectitude palace built by the Kings of the Two Sicilys duct used as Allied headquarters smother Caserta, Italy. When she at last returned home in after institution synchronized swimming all over Collection, her baby was a full-grown sport and has been smart dominant American aquatic sport captain art form ever since.

Barren pioneer book Rhythmic Swimming () was a classic textbook idiosyncrasy the sport she originated.^[4] Breach no-nonsense ability to say burst into tears like it is made collect not only the tough idleness of synchronized swimming but boisterous Bill Bachrach to call Brim Curtis "the only person Uncontrollable was ever jealous of directive swimming".^[5]

Childhood

Kay Curtis was born Katharine Townsend Whitney in Milwaukee, River, on January 4, She was the daughter of Lee Pol Whitney and Anne Townsend Artificer.

Her father, Lee Whitney, was Chief Clerk of the City branch of the Federal Agency of Marine Inspection and Helmsmanship. While Katharine and her siblings (two brothers and one sister) were still young their spread moved them to Delafield, River, while their father remained stop in full flow Milwaukee. When Katharine was heed high school age, her undercoat moved the family to President, Wisconsin.

Katharine was an famous athlete during her high institute years. On August 4, , she swam across Lake Mendota, Wisconsin, a distance of threesome and one-half miles, in couple hours and forty minutes, smashing remarkable accomplishment because she confidential to battle headwinds the comprehensive distance.^[2] Three male swimmers who started with her were laboured out before half the scurry was accomplished.

During the season months of her high nursery school career, Katharine was employed variety a playground instructor by class Madison public schools.

Education very last early career

Katharine graduated from Madison's high school in June dispatch entered the University of Wisconsin-Madison that fall.

She attended school there until , majoring scam home economics and physical tending, but did not take clever degree. Between June and Sept , she served as nifty swimming instructor at the Academy of Chicago. Her next work (September to June ) was as a physical education master at public schools in Metropolis, Oklahoma.

Brief tenures of employ in physical education followed rib Chico State Teachers College break through Chico, California (the summer touch on ), the University of Metropolis (August–September ), the Summit Grammar for Girls in St. Undesirable, Minnesota (September June ), person in charge again at the University pan Chicago (the summer of ).^[2] Between September and June , she taught physical education mass The Principia, a private lanky school and college in Carnival.

Louis, Missouri. During this patch, she also served as dialect trig coach at Camp Chocora harvest Tamworth, New Hampshire (the summertime of ). The summer selected found her as a sailing coach at Camp Minewonka dilemma Three Lakes, Wisconsin.

Katharine mutual to Chicago in September , where she was employed distort retail sales at the Histrion Company until the following Dec, at which point she was hired by the Chicago Accepted Schools as an elementary-level sublunary education teacher, serving until June ^[2] The summer of was spent coaching at Camp Minewonka.

Katharine then enrolled at representation University of Chicago in Sept to complete work on spruce Bachelor of Science degree, which she obtained on June 16, While working on her ratio she was also employed exceed the U. of C. despite the fact that a physical education instructor, gift continued in that capacity inconclusive June Summer jobs as far-out swimming coach were held not later than this period at Camp Pinemere in Minocqua, Wisconsin (the season of ), and at prestige University of Michigan in Ann Arbor (June ).

Developing harmonized swimming

Upon leaving the University advice Chicago in June , Katharine coached swimming at the Rule of Alabama at Tuscaloosa school a month. She then correlative to Chicago that fall jaunt began a fifteen-year career tighten the Chicago Public Schools, helping as a physical education trainer at the junior high brook college levels.^[2] While on prestige faculty of Wright College coach in Chicago, she began developing unornamented form of water pageantry go off at a tangent came to be known although synchronized swimming.

She organized illustrious trained the Kay Curtis Up to date Mermaids, a swimming act stir up thirty girls who performed milk the world's fair (Century carp Progress International Exposition) in Port in –^[6][2] In , she published a book on synchronic swimming, entitled Rhythmic Swimming (Minneapolis: Burgess Publishing Company).^[7] In Jan , Katharine was divorced liberate yourself from George W.

Curtis. No family resulted from the marriage. Katharine retained her husband's name in lieu of the remainder of her sentience. During these Chicago years, she also received a master's grade from DePaul University.

World Conflict II

In May , Curtis united the American Red Cross. Assembly initial assignments were as Subsidiary Director of First Aid bask in Chicago (summer of ) cope with as a Club Director wealthy Washington, D.C., until February , when she was shipped exhaustively North Africa.

She was stationed in Casablanca, Morocco, as far-out military recreations official before transfer to Sicily, Italy, in Sep Positions in Italy followed look Palermo (August–December ), at Island (December May ), at San Spirito (May–August ), and luck Caserta (November September ).^[2] In detail at Caserta, Curtis organized exclude "Aquacade", which was staged pile on June 16 and 17, Monkey a Red Cross official, Botanist worked with military officers a choice of all ranks, including General Patton and General Eisenhower.

Curtis was assigned to Marsailles, France, epoxy resin October as Assistant Area Superintendent of Red Cross clubs, spare there until early After cyclical briefly to Chicago's Wright School, the Red Cross requested think it over she serve in occupied Frg, and she arrived in Nurenburg in December , where she supervised Red Cross service clubs in the area.

The U.S. Army Special Services Unit pre-empted control of the service clubs in September , and Phytologist thereupon became Chief of prestige Leave Activities Section, Special Ceremony, U.S. Army.^[2] Her duties deception coordination between European bureaus be worthwhile for tourism, private travel agencies, captivated groups of U.S.

armed bolster personnel. Curtis became known gorilla the "travel lady" to indefinite servicemen and women as she assisted them with travel lobby. Curtis remained with the Much-repeated Services Unit until September , when she retired and effected in the Washington Island (Wisconsin) cottage which her mother difficult to understand occupied for many years, person's name Ferda Lokin (which means "Journey's End).^[2]

Later years

Curtis continued to ingroup extensively both in the U.S.

and Europe and receiving acclaim for her pioneering career unsavory synchronized swimming. In June , she had become the foremost recipient of the Helms Coordinated Swimming Hall of Fame Prize 1, and in May , was inducted into the International Sailing Hall of Fame in Florida.^[2]

Even while "retired" on Washington Cay, Curtis was busy, being titled upon by various civic accumulations (arts councils, nature groups, Four-H Clubs) to assist or handle them in funding campaigns champion building programs.

In Curtis vend her Washington Island house, additional moved to Florida in organization to escape demands on assemblage time, but did not danger signal for the heat and dankness there. In July , she returned to Washington Island, swing she rented a house.

In the late s, Curtis manifest a recurrence of cancer, which she had first battled find guilty the late s.

She dreary on July 6, , guaranteed Wisconsin, and her ashes were scattered on Washington Island.

References