1918 Swimsuit Styles. Image: Library of Congress

In 1918, Gladys was not to be deterred from winning the race against the frat boys, so she ditched her cumbersome ladies’ “swim dress”.

Gladys, whose diary entry One Less Crocodile (one of her jungle adventures) I previously posted, was always gutsy and athletic.  In high school (1911-1915) she played basketball and other sports, and at the University of Washington in Seattle (until 1919) she studied physical education.

One of her favorite college stories was about the day she beat the boys in a swimming race. My hubby guesses the race was at the Montlake Cut channel, but my bet is on Green Lake (equidistant from the frat and sorority houses).

Google Image Green Lake Park, Seattle WA

Women’s swimsuits in 1917-1918, called “swimming dresses” had too much fluff to be practical. So naturally, Gladys being Gladys, put on a men’s tank-style suit so she could race the boys.

I suspect many of her Phi Mu sorority sisters thought that scandalous, but men’s swimsuits then covered more than many women’s suits do nowadays.

Gladys went on to teach P.E. and Zoology at Roosevelt Middle School Junior High in San Diego.  She then lived in India for seven years as an expat with husband Ken. She enjoyed spending one year supervising physical education programs in various Indian schools, assessing Phys Ed teaching methods. She also swam with her toddler in the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea, when the family lived in the Andaman Islands.

Google Earth Image: Andaman Islands, India

Gladys never stopped swimming, even in her 90s! Her love for the sport has been passed down to her children, grandchildren (including me), great-grand children (my kids) and now her great-great-grandchildren (my grands) — with swimming instructors, lifeguards, and even a stunt-woman in the family.