Velma Clancy DUNN PLOESSEL

When Dorothy Poynton-Hill retained her Olympic platform title in 1936, Velma Dunn, a 17-year-old from Monrovia, California, took second place, finishing only 0.3 points behind the defending champion. She later became a physical education teacher at Huntington Park High School, and then at San Pedro High, where she taught water ballet, synchronized swimming, and life-saving techniques. With her husband, Howard Ploessel, also an excellent swimmer, they organized and staged water shows and ballets.