If I ask someone near or about my age how did they learn to swim, the response is usually a mix between “My old man threw me off the end of the pier” and Betty Ridgell. Thankfully, Betty’s name comes up a little more often than the “tossed off the pier” response. Here is sampling I found on Massey’s You Know You’re From St. Mary’s FB page:
I knew Betty fairly well because not only did she teach me how to swim but also when I worked at Pt. Lookout State Park I was a frequent visitor to her and her husband Judge’s place. They were among the last homeowners at the Park to sell their place. They also ran what would be one of the first “food trucks” anywhere selling ice cream and snacks to campers, tourists and park visitors.
I did some searches of the local papers and found the following obituary for Betty published in 2007. She sure did a lot in addition to teaching so many of us how to swim.
I also located this 1993 article which mentions her and Judge attending a 50 year gala and tells a little more about her:
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Jimmy Fallon sure nails it here in this The Swimming Song: 