When staff here in the San Francisco History Center read about the
death of Olympic swimmer Ann Curtis Cuneo, we searched our files and came up with some gems from the 1940s:
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| Ann Curtis at Fleishhacker Pool, instructing students, July 12, 1944. |
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| Swimming stars Ann Curtis and Johnny Weissmuller at Fleishhacker Pool, July 5, 1944. |
Apparently, being a swim star brought endorsement opportunities. The newscopy for the photo below, originally from the photo morgue of the
Call-Bulletin, reads: "S. F.'s 'PERFECT FOOT'--Ann Curtis Cuneo (right), Olympic swimmer, holds plaster of Paris as Sculptor Beniamino Bufano prepares to make model of 'perfect foot' of Peggy Sparling, 1735 Turk street. A registered nurse, she was named winner of Chandler Shoe Salon's contest with her trim size 7-A in store at 153 Geary street last night."
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| Artist Beniamino Bufano with Peggy Sparling and Ann Curtis Cuneo. |
The other "endorsement," from the 1950s, is for Muni. You can search our San Francisco Historical Photograph Collection database for that one!
Our file for the Crystal Plunge Swim Team has clippings, programs club bulletins, most of which feature Ann Curtis. Crystal Plunge was a saltwater swimming pool located on Lombard Street in North Beach that closed in the mid-1950s.
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| Crystal Plunge Swim Team file, San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library. |
Kudos and many respects to a renowned and beloved San Franciscan athlete!
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