Name/Title
Katherine Rawls Casino Pool 1936Entry/Object ID
H10.20Tags
Women's History, Katherine RawlsDescription
Katherine Rawls 1918-1982Photograph Details
Subject Person or Organization
Katherine RawlsCollection
History Fort Lauderdale Photograph Collection, Women's History, Gene Hyde Photograph CollectionCataloged By
Emeri CejkaLexicon
Nomenclature 4.0
Nomenclature Secondary Object Term
Print, PhotographicNomenclature Primary Object Term
PhotographNomenclature Sub-Class
Graphic DocumentsNomenclature Class
Documentary ObjectsNomenclature Category
Category 08: Communication ObjectsGeneral Notes
Note Type
Historical NoteNote
Katherine Rawls 1918-1982
Katherine Rawls’ swimming prowess helped put the tiny beach town of Fort Lauderdale on the map as a tourist destination. The “World’s Greatest Woman Swimmer” was described as “a tiny slip of a girl with the fighting spirit and trim lines of a tarpon”. It was this kind of personality and charm that sold South Florida and Fort Lauderdale to millions of newsreels, magazines, and newspapers worldwide.
Katy reigned supreme over American swimming and diving in the 1930’s. She was one of the few who successfully competed in both events. Because of her phenomenal exploits, the Fort Lauderdale Casino Pool was dedicated to her in 1935. In 1937 she was elected by the Associated Press as “The Number One (Female) Athlete of the Year.”
Probably the most versatile swimmer/diver in history, she won hundreds of events, captured a record thirty-three national titles (17 outdoor swimming, 11 indoor swimming, and 5 diving), was a member of the 1932 and 1936 Olympic Teams, and held the world record in the individual medley. At both Olympics she won the Silver Medal in the Women’s 3-Meter Springboard and in 1936 was a member of the Bronze Medal 400-Meter Freestyle Relay Team.
After her retirement in 1939, Katy learned how to fly, becoming a top pilot. Later, she joined the war effort by being selected as the twenty-first woman in the Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS). The WAFS shuttled aircraft from coast to coast for the Air Transport Command. In 1965 she was one of the first twenty-one members to be inducted into the Swimming Hall of Fame and in honor of her many accomplishments, January 28, 1974 was declared Katherine Rawls Day in the City of Fort Lauderdale.Created By
eandrews@historyfortlauderdale.orgCreate Date
November 29, 2023Updated By
eandrews@historyfortlauderdale.orgUpdate Date
February 27, 2024