Dottie May Frazier | |
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Born | Dorothy Adele Reider
[1] (1922-07-16)July 16, 1922 |
Died | February 8, 2022(2022-02-08) (aged 99) Long Beach, California |
Nationality | American |
Occupation(s) | Diver and dive shop owner |
Dottie May Frazier (July 15, 1922 – February 8, 2022) was an American diver, designer, and dive shop owner. Her life is chronicled in her autobiography, Trailblazer: The Extraordinary Life of Diving Pioneer, Dottie Frazier. She was the first female scuba instructor and the first female dive shop owner. [2]
Dorothy Adele Reider was born on July 15, 1922, in Long Beach, California, to parents Francis and Laura Davis Reider. [3] [4] She was injured in the 1933 Long Beach earthquake. [5] She graduated from Long Beach Polytechnic High School in 1939. [6]
Frazier began teaching freediving in the 1940s. [3] [7] During World War II she worked for Douglas Aircraft Company. [6] In 1955, Frazier became a certified scuba instructor and was the first woman in the United States to do so. [8] [9] She also created some of the first wetsuit patterns for women. [10] The suits were developed under the name Penguin Suits in conjunction with Frazier's dive shop, Penguin Dive Shop. [11] [3] Penguin was the first female-owned dive shop. [12] After the birth of her third son, Frazier founded Aqua Families, a club of divers who dove with their children. [4]
Frazier had four sons [11] and was married three times. She died in Long Beach on February 8, 2022, at the age of 99. [1] [6]
Frazier was inducted into the Women Divers Hall of Fame in 2000. [13] In 2019, Frazier was awarded the Historical Diving Society's Diving Pioneer Award. [14]
Dottie May Frazier | |
---|---|
Born | Dorothy Adele Reider
[1] (1922-07-16)July 16, 1922 |
Died | February 8, 2022(2022-02-08) (aged 99) Long Beach, California |
Nationality | American |
Occupation(s) | Diver and dive shop owner |
Dottie May Frazier (July 15, 1922 – February 8, 2022) was an American diver, designer, and dive shop owner. Her life is chronicled in her autobiography, Trailblazer: The Extraordinary Life of Diving Pioneer, Dottie Frazier. She was the first female scuba instructor and the first female dive shop owner. [2]
Dorothy Adele Reider was born on July 15, 1922, in Long Beach, California, to parents Francis and Laura Davis Reider. [3] [4] She was injured in the 1933 Long Beach earthquake. [5] She graduated from Long Beach Polytechnic High School in 1939. [6]
Frazier began teaching freediving in the 1940s. [3] [7] During World War II she worked for Douglas Aircraft Company. [6] In 1955, Frazier became a certified scuba instructor and was the first woman in the United States to do so. [8] [9] She also created some of the first wetsuit patterns for women. [10] The suits were developed under the name Penguin Suits in conjunction with Frazier's dive shop, Penguin Dive Shop. [11] [3] Penguin was the first female-owned dive shop. [12] After the birth of her third son, Frazier founded Aqua Families, a club of divers who dove with their children. [4]
Frazier had four sons [11] and was married three times. She died in Long Beach on February 8, 2022, at the age of 99. [1] [6]
Frazier was inducted into the Women Divers Hall of Fame in 2000. [13] In 2019, Frazier was awarded the Historical Diving Society's Diving Pioneer Award. [14]
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