Dottie Frazier

Summary

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.[2]

Dottie May Frazier
Born
Dorothy Adele Reider[1]

(1922-07-16)July 16, 1922
DiedFebruary 8, 2022(2022-02-08) (aged 99)
Long Beach, California
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Diver and dive shop owner

Early life edit

Dorothy Adele Reider was born on July 15, 1922, in Long Beach, California, to parents Francis and Laura Davis Reider.[3][4] She was injured in the 1933 Long Beach earthquake.[5] She graduated from Long Beach Polytechnic High School in 1939.[6]

Career edit

Frazier began teaching freediving in the 1940s.[3][7] During World War II she worked for Douglas Aircraft Company.[6] In 1955, Frazier became a certified scuba instructor and was the first woman in the United States to do so.[8][9] She also created some of the first wetsuit patterns for women.[10] The suits were developed under the name Penguin Suits in conjunction with Frazier's dive shop, Penguin Dive Shop.[11][3] Penguin was the first female-owned dive shop.[12] After the birth of her third son, Frazier founded Aqua Families, a club of divers who dove with their children.[4]

Personal life and death edit

Frazier had four sons[11] and was married three times. She died in Long Beach on February 8, 2022, at the age of 99.[1][6]

Awards edit

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]

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Dottie Frazier May". Press-Telegram. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  2. ^ Denny, Megan (2017-03-23). "7 Women in Diving Everyone Should Know". blog.padi.com. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  3. ^ a b c 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". Press Telegram. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
  4. ^ a b "Dottie Frazier". www.internationallegendsofdiving.com. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  5. ^ Archbold, Rich. "Belmont Shore Native Remembers '33 Earthquake As Scary, Exciting". www.Gazettes.com.
  6. ^ a b c Genzlinger, Neil (1 March 2022). "Dottie Frazier, a Pioneer in Diving the Deep Seas, Dies at 99". The New York Times.
  7. ^ "Dottie Frazier , 2000". The Women Divers Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  8. ^ "Five Remarkable Scuba Diving Women". Sport Diver. 2018-07-07. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  9. ^ Archbold, Rich (2018-03-01). "Rich Archbold column: For Dottie May Frazier, the Great 1933 Long Beach Earthquake was a scary adventure". Press Telegram. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  10. ^ Sallmon, Allison Vitsky (2020-07-16). "The Mothers of Invention: A Brief History of the Evolution of Women's Dive Gear". Scuba Diving. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  11. ^ a b Reynaud, Hélène (2020-06-15). "Famous Female Divers: Dottie Frazier". Scuba Diver Life. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
  12. ^ Clark, Tec (2016-12-27). "League of Extraordinary Divers 004: Dottie Frazier". ScubaGuru. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  13. ^ Gallant, Jeffrey (2020-04-04). "FRAZIER, Dottie May". Diving Almanac & Book of Records. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
  14. ^ Dowsett, Kathy (2020-03-22). "Dottie Frazier, Breaking Scuba Diving Barriers". The Scuba News. Retrieved 2020-12-11.