Aqua Dears with lion cubs at Woodland Park Zoo, August 2, 1962

Aqua Dears with lion cubs at Woodland Park Zoo, August 2, 1962

Thomas, Paul V

Seattle Times

8/2/62

This photograph appeared in the Seattle Times on August 2, 1962 with the following article: "Backstage at Zoo: Aqua Beauties Meet Beasts. Clockwise, from front center, Jan Leck, Jane Mucke, Linda Miller, Susan Hill and Kathy Connor. So sweet, so soft, such sharp claws. Five fresh and pretty Aqua Follies swimmers spent a few memorable moments the other day - backstage at the zoo. The Aqua Dears got to: Touch the fingers of Fifi, the ape. "Oooooh," they squealed, "So cold and clammy." And cuddle the 2-week old quintuplets of Delilah, mate of the lion Sampson. "Oooooh," they squealed. "So soft and furry." In between they heard a rock-'n-roll band on the bandstand. And they had a hard time refraining from doing the twist on the park lawn. "Like ""Oooooh." Delilah's rich milk has fattened the lion cubs from a bare 2 1/2 pounds at birth to about 7 pounds each. Forgetting about their bright red jackets, trademark of the Aqua Dears, the girls hugged the cubs and purred sweet nothings into their ears. Then they went up a steel overhead ramp to see what Delilah would do when she got her litter back. Delilah licked off the human smell, that's what. The swimmers were sorry to hear that Bobo and Fifi scorn romance. They suggested a curtain to give them privacy. Taking in the zoo sights and sounds were Linda Miller, 20, University of Minnesota; Susan Hill, 20, and Kathy Connor, 19, both of Gustavus Adolphus College; Jane Mucke, 18, Duke University; and Janet Leck, 18, University of Wisconsin. Off-beat recreation appeals to Minneapolis girls. When not paddling with precision in the Aqua Theater (nightly until August 15) they knit, "mostly for boy friends," and read the poetry of e. e. cummings. "We read it out loud over breakfast the other day," Linda said. She acted hurt when asked if anyone understood it. The girls' biggest problem after a night of swimming is their hair, Jan and June have wigs. Jan's is brown an; her hair is naturally red. Kathy has naturally curly hair. Linda and Susan bypassed by nature and lacking wigs, are philosophical: "Beauty they chimed," is only skin deep.""

Zoos--Washington (State)--Seattle

Woodland Park Zoo (Seattle, Wash.)

Lion--Infancy

Aqua Follies

Synchronized swimming--Washington (State)--Seattle

Swimmers

Women

Leck, Jan

Mucke, Jane

Miller, Linda

Hill, Susan

Connor, Kathy

Northwest Digital Heritage

image

http://cdm16118.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15015coll4/id/4771