Frank Bornamann– Frank was the United States Champion on the 3-meter springboard indoors in 1909, 1911, and 1912. He was born in Allentown and represented the Chicago Athletic Association. Primarily a diver, Frank Bornamann also competed in swimming at the 1906 Olympics. On the trip to Athens aboard the ship Barbarossa, the US athletes were on the deck when a huge wave hit the ship. Distance runner Harvey Cohn was almost thrown overboard but was saved by the quick action of Bornamann. Bornamann was injured during the incident, which probably prevented him from being at his best in the games.
David Gaul– David hails from Lafayette and represented the Philadelphia Athletic Club where he was an American competition swimmer. He represented the United States as a 17-year-old at the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, Missouri, where he finished in fourth place in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle events.
Margaret “Peg” Hoffman– Peg was from Wilkes-Barre and swam for the Scranton Swimming Association, placing fifth in the 200-meter breaststroke at both the 1928 (Amsterdam) and 1932(Los Angeles) Olympics. She attended Kingston’s Wyoming Seminary and later Mount Holyoke College. Hoffman won the AAU championship outdoors in the 220-yard breaststroke in 1930 and 1933 and was AAU indoor champion in the 110-yard breaststroke in 1931 and 1933.
Susan Laird– Susan participated in the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam as a 100 freestyler and a member of the World Record-setting 4×100 freestyle relay. She also attended Temple University, graduating in 1930. She started swimming at age 14 as therapy after developing Sydenham’s chorea (often called St. Vitus’ Dance), a neurologic disorder characterized by spasmodic jerking of the limbs and head. Laird was US Junior Champion in the 100-yard freestyle in 1926. After college, she became a girls’ coach and physical education at Homestead High School near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Laird died tragically when only 25-years-old from a rare blood disorder and subsequent pneumonia.
Adam Smith– Adam was born in Bradford and was an American competition swimmer who represented the United States at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris. Smith competed in the men’s 1,500-meter freestyle, advanced to the semifinals, and posted a time of 22:39.8.