Dottie Frazier Explained
Dottie May Frazier |
Birth Name: | Dorothy Adele Reider |
Birth Date: | 16 July 1922 |
Birth Place: | Long Beach, California |
Death Place: | Long Beach, California |
Nationality: | American |
Occupation: | 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.[1]
Early life
Dorothy Adele Reider was born on July 15, 1922, in Long Beach, California, to parents Francis and Laura Davis Reider.[2] [3] She was injured in the 1933 Long Beach earthquake.[4] She graduated from Long Beach Polytechnic High School in 1939.[5]
Career
Frazier began teaching freediving in the 1940s.[6] During World War II she worked for Douglas Aircraft Company.[5] In 1955, Frazier became a certified scuba instructor and was the first woman in the United States to do so.[7] [8] She also created some of the first wetsuit patterns for women.[9] The suits were developed under the name Penguin Suits in conjunction with Frazier's dive shop, Penguin Dive Shop. Penguin was the first female-owned dive shop.[10] After the birth of her third son, Frazier founded Aqua Families, a club of divers who dove with their children.
Personal life and death
Frazier had four sons[11] and was married three times. She died in Long Beach on February 8, 2022, at the age of 99.[12] [5]
Awards
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]
Notes and References
- Web site: Denny. Megan. 2017-03-23. 7 Women in Diving Everyone Should Know. 2020-12-16. blog.padi.com. en.
- Web site: Archbold. Rich. 2019-09-20. At 97, Dottie May Frazier has led an extraordinary life but she isn't done – she's aiming for 100. 2020-12-11. Press Telegram. en-US.
- Web site: Dottie Frazier. 2020-12-16. www.internationallegendsofdiving.com.
- News: Archbold . Rich . Belmont Shore Native Remembers '33 Earthquake As Scary, Exciting . www.Gazettes.com . en.
- News: Genzlinger . Neil . Dottie Frazier, a Pioneer in Diving the Deep Seas, Dies at 99 . The New York Times . 1 March 2022.
- Web site: Dottie Frazier, 2000. 2020-12-16. The Women Divers Hall of Fame.
- Web site: 2018-07-07. Five Remarkable Scuba Diving Women. 2020-12-16. Sport Diver. en.
- Web site: Archbold. Rich. 2018-03-01. Rich Archbold column: For Dottie May Frazier, the Great 1933 Long Beach Earthquake was a scary adventure. 2020-12-16. Press Telegram. en-US.
- Web site: Sallmon. Allison Vitsky. 2020-07-16. The Mothers of Invention: A Brief History of the Evolution of Women's Dive Gear. 2020-12-16. Scuba Diving. en.
- Web site: Clark. Tec. 2016-12-27. League of Extraordinary Divers 004: Dottie Frazier. 2020-12-16. ScubaGuru. en-US.
- Web site: Reynaud. Hélène. 2020-06-15. Famous Female Divers: Dottie Frazier. 2020-12-11. Scuba Diver Life. en-US.
- Web site: Dottie Frazier May . Press-Telegram . 14 February 2022.
- Web site: Gallant. Jeffrey. 2020-04-04. FRAZIER, Dottie May. 2020-12-11. Diving Almanac & Book of Records. en-GB.
- Web site: Dowsett. Kathy. 2020-03-22. Dottie Frazier, Breaking Scuba Diving Barriers. 2020-12-11. The Scuba News. en-US.